| Summary: | Bullying as we have known in South Africa and internationally is not a new phenomenon, but as society we have become aware of its harmful effects. In the current challenging times amidst COVID-19, individuals, more especially children are spending more time engaging in online social interaction, as most private schools are resorting to online teaching and learning. This results in a further increase of incidents of online bullying, or ‘cyberbullying’. As we are aware from studies, victims of both physical bullying and cyberbullying report a range of forms of psychological harm, such as depression and low self-esteem. Some victims of cyberbullying have even committed suicide. Lunfuno Mavhunga a grade 12 pupil from Nzhele in Limpopo earlier in 2021 committed suicide after a video of her being bullied by her fellow pupils went viral. Delictually victims of cyberbullying have remedies available such as a claim for defamation under the actio iniuriarum. In addition to this remedy the author in the paper seeks to propose that victims of cyberbullying should also explore the additional claim of emotional harm that he or she has suffered by the culpable conduct of the bully.
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