The former employee denied forcefully kissing a Grade 9 pupil.
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A former Mpumalanga school official has been dismissed and declared unfit to work with children following a ruling that he sexually harassed a pupil.
Hendry Jabulani Makhubela, who worked at Valencia Combined School in Mbombela, faced disciplinary action brought by the Mpumalanga Department of Education before the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC).
He was charged with two counts of misconduct linked to incidents that allegedly took place in June 2025.
Mpumalanga school pupil details alleged sexual harassment
The matter arose after a Grade 9 pupil’s cellphone was confiscated at the school for breaching rules.
The pupil testified that on 2 June 2025 she had used her iPhone 13 Pro-Max during class, leading to its confiscation shortly before the first break.
During break, while upset and speaking with friends, Makhubela approached her and instructed her to meet him later.
The pupil, now in Grade 10, testified that she went to his office accompanied by two friends.
According to her testimony, Makhubela indicated he would try to assist in retrieving the confiscated phone.
As she was leaving the office, he hugged her despite acknowledging that he was not permitted to hug students.
She stated that during this interaction he touched her inappropriately on her lower back and buttocks.
Later, she returned to Makhubela’s office as instructed. This time, the former employee told her he could not get the phone back.
As she tried to leave, the employee restrained her against shelves, forcefully kissed her, and attempted to search under her dress.
She pushed him away and left his office.
According to the student, she contacted Makhubela while at home seeking help to recover her phone and asked to borrow R400 towards the R750 fine imposed by the school, but he did not assist.
Complaint reported to principal
The school’s principal, Willie Kariel White, told the arbitration that on 4 June the pupil, accompanied by her mother and aunt, reported allegations of sexual harassment against Makhubela.
White testified that he subsequently contacted the chairperson of the School Governing Body (SGB) and the family provided an overview of the allegations.
He confirmed that he had authorised the search operation that led to the confiscation of the cellphone.
Under cross-examination, the principal acknowledged that he had not personally inspected the device or attempted to retrieve it.
White also stated that the family intended to pursue a criminal case.
While he did not investigate the precise details of the alleged touching, White maintained that any inappropriate contact would be serious.
Employee rejects allegations
Makhubela, held the roles of departmental head for the senior phase and data administrator, denied all accusations of misconduct.
At the time, he held the roles of departmental head for the senior phase and acting data administrator.
He disputed claims that he hugged, touched, or kissed the pupil, and denied that she had cried in his presence or that he made any inappropriate advances.
He further argued that he did not invite her into his office, did not search her, and had no prior relationship with her.
He confirmed that he recorded the cellphone confiscation on the school’s disciplinary system.
ELRC’s findings
ELRC arbitrator Victor Madula found that Makhubela did not dispute that the pupil visited his office twice on the day in question while attempting to recover her confiscated phone.
“The inference one could make is that the employee took an advantage of the desperation of [the pupil] to get her cell phone back.
“It is my belief that the employee created an impression to [the pupil] that he wanted to help her get her cell phone back.
“The employee has barely denied the incident,” he said.
Madula further highlighted if the victim was framing Makhubela, she would not have told her parents and friends about the incidents.
The arbitrator concluded that Makhubela had sexually harassed the pupil and found him guilty on both charges of misconduct.
He was fired with immediate effect.
“I find that the sanction of dismissal would be appropriate, irrespective of the mitigating factors, which I have considered.”
In addition, Makhubela was declared unsuitable to work with children.
