School packs up teacher and his pet puppy
Row over missing paperwork and pupils’ ‘poor’ English
● Less than a month after starting as an English teacher at a posh Johannesburg private school, David Benjesse says he was forced into resigning.
Benjesse has also accused the Lonehill International Academy of pouring bleach over clothes and locking his puppy in a car.
He said the school turned on him after he sent an e-mail to parents and teachers complaining about his pupils’ poor English.
But the school said that soon after hiring Benjesse in January, it discovered “serious allegations” against him on social media.
It said Benjesse had not supplied the required paperwork, including his ID and certificate of qualification.
Benjesse, 58, has laid a complaint with the Labour Court in Johannesburg, asking for an order setting aside his resignation.
He has also claimed R12-million for damages, including R5-million for his “irreplaceable” Zimbabwean birth certificate, marriage certificate, cutlery and mugs that went missing when the school moved his belongings.
In his statement of claim Benjesse said: “It quickly became apparent the school children had not been properly taught English in the preceding years. I repeatedly tested my classes and they received 40% or less for creative writing. I posted warnings of pupils’ deficiency and . . . that they be made to read novels to overcome this.”
He said that after his e-mail, the school’s director, Derick van der Schyf, invited him for coffee at a mall and told him that police were looking for him for “crimes” he had committed and that a warrant of arrest was active.
“[Van der Schyf] said the Hawks had a thick file on me. He told me to just resign and take two months’ salary and get away from Johannesburg. In the fear and bewilderment of the moment, I numbly scrawled my resignation.”
His belongings from his quarters at the school were packed up and returned but, unknown to him, his six-month-old puppy had been put in a school car and parked at the mall where he was meeting Van der Schyf, he said.
According to reports on the internet, Benjesse left Zimbabwe after the law society accused him of practising illegally. He said he fled because a domestic worker had warned him the Central Intelligence Organisation was going to kill him.
Benjesse said he had obtained a law degree in 2003 from the American College of Law, which has since closed down.
In an e-mail to the Sunday Times, Van der Schyf denied Benjesse’s claims against the school. He said the school had become aware of serious allegations against Benjesse on social media.
“The school’s directors immediately decided to suspend him with full benefits pending a disciplinary inquiry,” he said.
He said Benjesse was not interested in a disciplinary inquiry and offered to resign immediately if paid two months’ salary. The school accepted. After this Benjesse’s belongings were handed to him in front of witnesses, Van der Schyf said.
“The dog was brought to the premises just before the meeting and was attended to in the parking area for a maximum of 30 minutes, under cover especially to ensure it was not exposed to the heat,” he said.
The school had hired a security company to pack Benjesse’s belongings.
Van der Schyf said Benjesse had not supplied a certificate from the South African Council for Educators.
“He was asked on numerous occasions to produce the required certificate, which he refused to do.”
He said none of the documents provided by Benjesse were original or certified.
He said the school’s record of achievement “speaks for itself” by producing excellent results in all subjects.
The school would defend the Labour Court action.