Sexual harassment allegations rock KaNyamazane school
The deputy principal of Likweti Primary School has been suspended pending an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment of four Grade Five pupils.
The Mpumalanga Department of Education (DoE) said it has developed a strong protocol for the management and reporting of sexual offences in schools. They aim to ensure a safe education environment. This is after the Mpumalanga DA had written a letter to the DoE on March 17 to immediately suspend the deputy principal of Likweti Primary School, following allegations of him sexually harassing four Grade Five pupils.
The DoE’s spokesperson, Gerald Sambo, confirmed that the department has suspended the deputy principal, pending the investigation.
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“The department takes sexual offences allegations seriously and we have suspended the deputy principal to ensure the learners’ safety while the matter is being investigated,” Sambo said.
On March 17, Lowvelder spoke to the Mpumalanga DA’s spokesperson of education, Annerie Weber. She said some community members of KaNyamazane claimed the deputy principal was still reporting to work at the school, after he had been suspended.
“The DA has highlighted that the DoE lacks seriousness in dealing with sexual and GBV cases in schools, and outlined that schools should have proper vetting processes implemented for all education staff. The department must encourage schools to report all sexual offences to the SAPS and create a policy whereby learners must be escorted to the restroom by a vetted teacher. Alternatively, schools must consider and implement a buddy system for learners to escort one another other to bathrooms to prevent predators from taking advantage,” Weber said.
In response to this, Sambo said: “The department will conduct an investigation to determine the reasons and circumstances surrounding the deputy principal’s presence at the school while he is on suspension.”
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Sambo also pleaded with schools to report such incidents and emphasised that the teachers who are found to have committed sexual offences are to be charged with misconduct, according to Section 17(1) of the the Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998.
