Grandma alerted school to sexual abuse, principal says

A GIRL’s debilitating bladder problem caused by alleged sexual assault, including crude remarks made to another learner, was what lifted the lid on a scholar patrol man accused of preying on children at a Soweto school.

This was revealed yesterday by Ndungu Mthimkhulu, the principal of AB Xuma Primary School, who was testifying against 58-year-old Johannes Molefe – the school’s former scholar patrol man who is facing three rape counts and 11 of sexual assault.

Testifying at the South Gauteng High Court sitting in the Palmridge Magistrate’s Court, Mthimkhulu said a grandmother of a then Grade 5 learner came to her in September last year to complain about shocking remarks which Molefe had allegedly told her granddaughter.

The accused is alleged to have told the learner that the way she was so dirty, it was as if she had just had sex.

Mthimkhulu added that an investigation was conducted by senior staff at the school, where a list of 54 names of allegedly abused girls was compiled, one of whom suffered from a severe bladder problem.

Her parents had confirmed that the learner had bladder issues and was receiving treatment at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, she said. The girl’s mother, according to Mthimkhulu, had also suspected sexual abuse of her child.

“The girl’s mother came (the following day) and informed me that Mkhulu (Molefe) had inserted his finger in her (girl’s) vagina,” she said.

Molefe has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his advocate, Lumka Qoqo, argued that he was being framed in order to target Mthimkhulu, who was apparently disliked by a faction of the teaching staff.

Qoqo also challenged the list and how it was compiled, saying a girl, who was number 43 on the document, had said teachers made a mistake by putting her name on it because Molefe had never violated her.

“I’m going to argue that this list was compiled randomly. I will further say that there was fishing (for) complainants,” Qoqo said.