A Grade 12 learner (18) from a Jozini high school in KZN is in hospital with severe burn wounds from her abdomen to her legs and feet after boiling water was poured on her, allegedly by a fellow pupil.

The Witness reports that the attack is linked to an alleged affair with a teacher.

The attack reportedly followed a confrontation over claims that the victim was having an affair with the suspect’s boyfriend, suspected to be a teacher at the same school.

Both pupils are part of a group of matrics who have been sleeping at the school while preparing for matric exams.

The victim’s uncle, Sphiwe Vilane, yesterday told The Witness that the attack was executed at around 04:00 last Thursday. He said the family was unhappy with the lack of action by the police and the Department of Education after the matter was reported.

He said his niece was still asleep when she was attacked. “What pains us as a family is that we have not heard anything from the police, the school or the education department since my niece got admitted. They all camped at the school in preparation for their Grade 12 examinations.

“She used to be friends with her [alleged] attacker, and cracks began to show when she became favoured by the teacher for running errands, including messages around the school or staff room.

“The [alleged] assailant used to run errands, but this teacher later favoured my niece. It is for this reason the two stopped being friends, leading up to Thursday’s attack,” said Vilane.

He said his niece, whose name has been withheld to protect her identity, was badly burnt from the belly button down to her legs, and the teacher should be held accountable.

“The [alleged] attacker suspected that my niece had an affair with the teacher. It is for this reason that we urge the school to take action against him.

“We want the department not to allow him to resign, but to keep him until the matter is dealt with internally, and we also want to see the law enforcement agencies playing their role,” he said.

Provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm is under investigation by the Jozini police.

Education authorities monitor teacher conduct

KZN Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi confirmed that the matter is under police investigation. He said the victim remains in critical condition and is receiving medical treatment in hospital.

Mahlambi added that the department is also following up on allegations that the two pupils were romantically involved with a teacher.

Should it be established that the teacher was indeed involved in an inappropriate relationship with the learners, the department will take decisive action in line with our zero-tolerance policy towards such misconduct.

“This is a matter of grave concern, especially as issues related to underage pregnancies and the protection of learners were extensively discussed during a multi-disciplinary parliamentary meeting held just yesterday. We take this incident very seriously,” said Mahlambi.

The KZN education portfolio committee said it is worried about the report of the attack. Chairperson Princess Phumzile Buthelezi said she has not received a report on the attack, but that the department should act swiftly for the sake of both pupils.

“It is against the department’s rules for teachers to have romantic affairs with pupils. How would this teacher feel had this happened to his daughter?

“This is not the kind of calibre of teachers we need in our schools. We should have a meeting on this, and the MEC should also attend this,” said Buthelezi.

Chairperson of the KZN Parents Association, Vee Gani, said the Department of Education should have acted immediately upon learning of the incident. He described the act of pouring boiling water on another person as equivalent to attempted murder.

“The pupil should have been removed from the school immediately and placed in police custody. Her continued presence poses a threat to the safety of other learners and staff.

“At the same time, a thorough investigation is necessary into the alleged conduct of the teacher involved,” said Gani.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a 20-year-old Limpopo pupil was arrested for allegedly pouring boiling water on a teenager.

The girl alleged that the boy had sexually assaulted her at their school camp while they were also preparing for the matric examinations.

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