Sunday Tribune reports that a KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) teacher charged with statutory rape of a pupil at his school was released on bail last week, with conditions attached.
The 31-year-old high school teacher, who lives in uMhlanga, was granted R3,000 bail in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. Earlier this month, the teacher was suspended by the Department of Education after alleged explicit screenshots and messages between him and a pupil emerged. This resulted in protest action outside the school, where parents and pupils called for the teacher’s expulsion. The teacher allegedly also had naked pictures of the pupil on his phone and both his and the pupil’s phones were sent for analysis by the police’s cyber crime unit. Rape and child pornography charges were brought against the teacher. During Wednesday’s proceedings, the accused, with almost nine years of teaching experience, said he was “determined to clear his name of the baseless charge”. The magistrate set bail with three conditions, including that the accused must not communicate with the alleged victim in the matter or assault witnesses and must not enter the school in question.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Sunday Tribune
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