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The Gauteng education department said the teacher was appointed by the school governing body and has since been suspended.
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The mother of a Glenvista High School pupil in the south of Johannesburg has opened a case against her daughter’s teacher, accusing him of sexual harassment.
The teacher, whose identity is known to The Citizen, allegedly rubbed his genital area on the 14-year-old’s cheek while collecting a test paper from her desk after she had finished writing.
Speaking to The Citizen, the woman said her daughter disclosed her teacher’s alleged behaviour after picking her up from school on 23 April.
“I received a call from a teacher that morning saying the principal wanted to see me because my daughter disrespected her teacher and her teacher is in tears,” she explained.
The woman, who works night shift, asked if she could meet the principal the following day because she had just returned from work and from dropping her children off at school.
When she picked her daughter up from school that afternoon, she asked her what had happened.
The teen explained what she allegedly experienced and the mother, who is a rape survivor, had to pull the car over for her daughter to demonstrate what happened.
She also disclosed that the same teacher had made several inappropriate comments to her in the past.
The child further alleged that he once threatened to take her to the toilet to show her the real him.
She told her mother she was labelled disrespectful after reporting the teacher’s actions to three other staff members.
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Department yet to respond
The mother said she met with the principal the following day and also reported the matter to the district on 25 April.
She claims she was told the teacher in question had resigned amid the allegations but returned recently.
The Gauteng Department of Education confirmed to The Citizen that the teacher was suspended this week.
“The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is aware and deeply concerned about the allegations levelled against the educator at Glenvista High School.
“It must be noted that the implicated individual is a school governing body [SGB] employee and has since been suspended.”
It said it had sent a psycho-social unit to the school to provide support.
While police investigations into the matter are ongoing, the department appealed to SGBs to ensure that necessary vetting and due diligence are conducted before individuals are employed.
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‘I don’t want him to ever teach another child again’
The woman said her daughter feels like giving up on pursuing the matter because she has been painted as a liar.
But the mother, who has been sharing the journey on TikTok, said she won’t stop until justice is served.
“I want to see [the teacher behind bars]
“I don’t want him to ever teach another child again; that’s my main priority. The second is to focus on healing my child because being a child who was raped and then growing up, I know how damaging it can be.”
She said she hopes her daughter will heal enough to be able to see that there are people she can trust.
“I hope this doesn’t breed another paedophile or person like me who is a single parent and hasn’t been able to sustain a relationship. I also want to achieve justice for other children whose cases were swept under the rug.”
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