Those found guilty of sexual misconduct should be banned from working with or in close proximity of pupils and that their names should be added to the National Register for Sex Offenders
FURTHER allegations of sexual misconduct have surfaced at a city school.
A teacher at a Galeshewe high school has been accused of having multiple relationships with young girls at the school where he teaches.
It is further alleged that the teacher fathered a child with a pupil who matriculated in 2018 and that he is further linked to a rape trial which is currently being heard in court.
The provincial Department of Education has acknowledged that these allegations have been brought to their attention. Department spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe said that they are busy investigating the claims.
“The Northern Cape Department of Education is aware of the allegations levelled against the teacher who is accused of having sexual relationships with pupils. These allegations were brought to the attention of a district office by an anonymous person. Our district office is busy conducting an investigation and will have a preliminary report available on November 8, 2019. Thereafter, depending on the outcome of the investigation, all due disciplinary processes will be followed,” said Van der Merwe.
The DA in the Northern Cape last week expressed its concern regarding the high rate of sexual offences at schools in the Province after a deputy principal was suspended for alleged sexual misconduct.
The DA constituency head of Bo-Karoo, Fawzie Rhoda, said that the deputy principal of a school in Colesberg was suspended after 15 school hostel pupils submitted complaints relating to sexual harassment by the deputy principal and that he was “spying” on them.
The DA urged the Department of Education to deal with these cases with urgency.
“The department should not take a month and a half to react to allegations of sexual crimes in schools. Rather, immediate precautionary suspensions should be enforced until such as time as the law can be allowed to take its course,” said Rhoda.
He added that those found guilty of sexual misconduct should be banned from working with or in close proximity of pupils and that their names should be added to the National Register for Sex Offenders.
