TimesLIVE reports on a submission made by Mashudu Ramulumo of the SA Principals' Association at a SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) hearing in Limpopo on bullying, corporal punishment and sex between educators and pupils in schools in the province.
Ramulumo admitted to the allegation that principals were not reporting many cases of sexual relations between teachers and pupils to the education department and said there were a number of reasons for that. These included the principals' fear of victimisation by perpetrators and unwillingness by pupils to report these relationships. He said: “Yes, it is true. So many cases are not reported. Some principals do not have the right skills to compile a case to report to the department … Only those who are bold enough to implement policy are the ones who come forward and report.” Ramulumo said between June 2020 and February this year, 58 teachers were removed from the roll of educators because they had been found guilty of sexual misconduct. But, some principals went about dealing with complaints of sexual misconduct the wrong way. Another challenge was the time it took to deal with the cases. The Congress of SA Students in Limpopo said an educator, if found guilty of having a sexual relationship with a pupil of the school where he or she was employed, must be dismissed. “The dismissal should be mandatory whether or not there was consent. Such zero- tolerance policies are consistent with many laws that criminalise adult sexual relationships with minors in general,” Cosas provincial secretary Sello Mahladisa told the hearing.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE
- Read too, Outrage after two teachers at two schools in Gauteng allegedly sexually assaulted female learners, on page 2 of The Star of 19 May 2021
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