Johannesburg - According to the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), at least 48 teachers have been fired for sexually abusing pupils in the past 14 months across South African schools. This has resulted in these teachers being declared unsuitable to work with children.
The council revealed to Sowetan that from April 1, 2022, to May 10, this year, at least 56 charges for sexual misconduct were issued and 48 teachers were found guilty.
In October last year, a 26-year-old Eastern Cape teacher who allegedly raped and impregnated two matric pupils was arrested after the NPA revealed that the teacher was employed at Ntsizwa High, where both victims, aged 18 and 19, attended school.
In yet another teacher rape case, a KwaZulu-Natal teacher was arrested at the start of 2022 after raping a 14-year-old female pupil on school premises.
The alleged rapes occurred between May and June of last year. This was one of many incidents where teachers used their power and privilege to lure young girls into the bedroom.
According to Section 27 attorney, Zeenat Sujee, acts of sexual violence continue to threaten the rights of many children across the country. The public law centre says this infringes on the learners’ constitutionally protected rights to equality, privacy, dignity, safety, and health.
"When a child is or has been sexually abused in school, it particularly affects their access to and participation in their education. Our work with schools continues to bring to light horrific cases of sexual violence in schools.
"It demonstrates the need for intensified advocacy campaigns to ensure that communities are given the knowledge to protect learners and, most importantly, that learners are equipped to protect themselves," Sujee said.
Sujee said it is for this reason that Section 27 has committed to working with schools through workshops with learners in a bid to empower them with skills to deal with managing and reporting sexual violence, over and above empowering learners with their sexual and reproductive health rights.
The Star