Sunday World (South Africa)

Indian teacher bites the dust for calling black pupils monkeys

Head of Curro school asked her to jump or else...

- By Bongani Mdakane bongani@sundayworl­d.co.za

The Indian teacher accused of racism after she reportedly called black pupils monkeys at Curro Academy in Protea Glen, Soweto, has been pushed out of the school.

Tayabah Jadwat, who racially attacked three pupils when they were in Grade 11, resigned after she was allegedly instructed to jump ship by the school’s executive head, Johannes Mahlatsi, instead of being fired.

But her resignatio­n may be a futile exercise because the school is proceeding with a disciplina­ry hearing and might fire her in absentia.

Sources close to the case said the pupils made noises when Jadwat was busy teaching in the classroom and she lost her cool and called them monkeys.

In the recording that Sunday World listened to, Jadwat could be heard telling the pupils: “Can you keep quiet, and the three monkeys at the back.”

Her remarks shocked the pupils, who protested against her racist conduct.

When contacted, an irate Jadwat told Sunday World that she was forced to quit her job by Mahlatsi.

She said Mahlatsi, who replaced the school’s former executive head, Shanette Tiquin who was also expelled for allegedly calling her colleague Nonkululek­o Gwatyu a monkey, had told her to rather resign than be fired.

“Yes, I resigned, and secondly, it was because you wrote utter crap about me last time when you said I cried. I resigned because I had a meeting with the executive head (Mahlatsi).

“I resigned because I didn’t want to be in a disciplina­ry hearing for those racism allegation­s. You wrote s@#t about me last time, and I lost my career and my life because of that story you wrote. You lied about me, and I am not racist. I am going to sue you and the

I resigned because I did not want to be in a disciplina­ry hearing

Curro has notified the teacher that the hearing will go ahead

World for destroying my life,” said the piqued Jadwat.

When asked why she did not insist on going to the disciplina­ry hearing and exonerate herself, she argued that she would not have had time to do so.“i was not racial. I didn’t call the kids monkeys,” she said.

Jadwat said she would tell her side of the story when ready to do so.

Curro Holdings business executive Fergus Sampson confirmed Jadwat had resigned.

“Curro Holdings acted immediatel­y when it became aware of an incident at Protea Glen by suspending and charging the teacher with ‘conduct which can be construed as racist, alternativ­ely offensive conduct, and/ or harassment on the grounds of race’ and with inappropri­ate conduct in front of learners,” said Sampson.

He said Curro Holdings dealt with the matter with the consent of all the parties involved, including the parents.

“The teacher resigned, and the resignatio­n was accepted.

However, Curro, in the interests of procedural justice, notified the employee that the disciplina­ry hearing would continue

 ?? ?? Teacher Tayabah Jadwat who called three black pupils monkeys at Curro Academy in Protea Glen, Soweto, has been pushed out
Teacher Tayabah Jadwat who called three black pupils monkeys at Curro Academy in Protea Glen, Soweto, has been pushed out
 ?? ?? Curro Holdings business executive Fergus Sampson confirmed that Tayabah Jadwat had resigned from the school.
Curro Holdings business executive Fergus Sampson confirmed that Tayabah Jadwat had resigned from the school.

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