Teacher charged with sexual assault of pupils

Colleagues may face trial too after trying to protect the man

A primary school teacher, who allegedly made two of his 12year-old pupils watch pornographic material on his laptop before rubbing his penis on their backs on different occasions, spent the weekend in an East London police station cell.

The Gonubie teacher, 32, was arrested by members of the police’s sexual offences unit on Friday and will appear in court on Monday charged with two counts of sexual assault and a third charge of exposing a minor to pornographic material.

He cannot be named until he has pleaded because it is a sexual offence case. The arrest was confirmed on Sunday by East London police spokesperson Captain Hazel Mqala.

Insiders within the police said one of the incidents is believed to have taken place last Monday afternoon, when he allegedly lured one of the unsuspecting pupils on the pretence that he would teach her computer skills.

Sources say the girl became “uncomfortable” at the teacher’s actions and ran out of the classroom. She later told a classmate about the incident, and when she did so, the friend burst into tears and said the same thing had happened to her a few days earlier.

The source said the friend then advised her against reporting the matter at the school as she had done so and her claims had been dismissed by certain teachers. According to her, these teachers also told her not to repeat the story to anyone else, one of the insiders told the Dispatch.

The pupil later told her parents, who took her for counselling and opened a case with the police.

Another police insider said further arrests at the school could not be ruled out, as police were now pursuing charges of defeating the ends of justice against teachers who allegedly told the class in which the complainants are that the teacher was “merely playing” and should not be reported.

On Sunday, education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the matter was under investigation.

“The department will take disciplinary action against that teacher if the allegations are found to be true. If the preliminary report confirms this, a precautionary suspension will be instituted depending on the facts before us.

“For now, we are working with the district and the circuit manager, including the labour relations section,” he said, adding medical and counselling services would be arranged for the girls and their classmates.

The friend advised her against reporting it as she had and her claims were dismissed