A former De Rust Primary School teacher in the Klein Karoo has been cleared of misconduct charges relating to the alleged sexual assault of a former pupil.
The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) found the teacher not guilty after being accused of pushing his hand under her skirt or touching her vagina.
The ELRC’s Alta Reynolds has also ordered the Western Cape Education Department to instruct that the block on the e-recruitment online application system against the teacher’s name be removed. The alleged incident happened in 2018, with the allegations surfacing last year.
According to the pupil’s testimony, during break time the teacher asked her to visit his classroom after school, without explanation.
She was accompanied by her sister who was then asked to go to the shop to buy a cold drink and chips, the pupil said. “After she stood closer to the desk the employee pushed his hand under her skirt (’rompie’) and touched on top of her private parts. When that happened she was too shocked to utter a word and said nothing. Her sister returned a few minutes later and she told her sister they must go home immediately.
“When her mother returned from work later that evening she did not tell her what happened either because she did not want her mother to feel guilty for not always being at home to look fully after them,” the report read.
The alleged incident was brought to light after she told a teacher at her current school.
The accused teacher testified that he became aware of the allegations when the principal called and handed the charge sheet to him.
“He was 100% sure that he never called the learner to the classroom after school and that he never put his hand under her skirt as she alleged. (The) learner’s evidence is a blatant lie, her sister, who according to her was in the classroom, did not come to testify to her version, and he did not stay behind after school since they directly after school waited at the administration block until the bell rang to go home,” the report states.
The teacher also testified about attempting to apply to return to Oudtshoorn from George, but when he entered the department’s online e-recruitment system to apply for posts, a drop-down message came through that there was a complaint against his name and he had to give an explanation about the charge.
Reynolds said given the totality of the evidence presented, the teacher’s version was more probable than that of the learner.
The WCDE’s Bronagh Hammond said they would respond on Monday.
Cape Times