Security guard to appear for allegedly sexually assaulting 54 primary school girls
The Gauteng education MEC says the incident is 'sad' and 'completely unacceptable'.
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A security guard at a Soweto primary school is reportedly expected to appear in the Protea Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday afternoon for allegedly sexually assaulting 54 girls at the school.
Gauteng education spokesperson Steve Mabona told News24 the man was arrested on Tuesday after a case was opened by two pupils, one in Grade 2 and one in Grade 6.
The case then opened a can of worms after it was established that the security guard had allegedly assaulted 54 girls.
A mother whose six-year-old daughter is alleged to have been one of the guard’s victims, told The Star she received a message from her daughter’s father on Tuesday morning telling her to go to the local clinic immediately, because “something bad has happened to our daughter”.
“When I arrived at the clinic, I was informed that my daughter had been sexually abused, and I broke down.
“The nurse asked my daughter what had happened, and my daughter told her that mkhulu [grandpa] keeps touching her inappropriately, saying the security guard had put his fingers in her vaginal area,” she was quoted as saying by the publication.
The alleged assault happened on a regular basis, added the Grade R pupil.
The traumatised girl could not stop crying and refused to go back to school.
“I’m worried about what will happen to my daughter when she grows up – how long will this trauma affect her? I’m worried that she could be damaged psychologically.
Another mother, whose six-year-old daughter was also allegedly violated by the guard, said the child was allegedly touched on her thighs and buttocks “for several months”.
“It was hard for me to listen to my daughter give a statement to the police, because I could see how hurt she was by this ordeal.
“I will have to monitor my child to see if there are any lasting effects, but I hope the Gauteng department of education [GDE] will provide counselling for her.
“She is only in Grade R,” the mother was quoted as saying.
Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi was alerted to the news, and said the incident was “sad” and “completely unacceptable”.
The department of education has reportedly deployed social workers to the school to get a “better understanding of the situation”.
