City Press reports that the safety of pupils in SA schools has come under the spotlight after it emerged that close to 100 teachers had been dismissed over the past five years for sexual misconduct.

During the same period, almost 300 cases of sexual misconduct were opened against teachers in six provinces. Over the past five years, Gauteng recorded 173 cases of sexual misconduct against teachers, 87 of whom were dismissed after being found guilty. Last Monday, Gauteng Health MEC Matome Chiloane told the provincial legislature that 29 teachers had been placed on precautionary suspension during the past five years and another 86 who had been accused of sexual misconduct were still teaching. “Some of these were found guilty and, in other cases, sanctions short of dismissal were imposed,” he advised. Asked what the average duration of suspension was, Chiloane said it was 346 days and, over the past five years, that had cost the department more than R10 million. Gauteng education shadow MEC Khume Ramulifho said this was appalling and a clear indication that pupils were at risk. In October, the SA Council of Educators (Sace) said 19 teachers had been struck off the roll indefinitely between April last year and March this year. Most of these individuals had been involved in cases of sexual misconduct. While briefing Parliament on Sace’s annual report for 2021/22, the council’s CEO Ella Mokgalane said that 191 cases of sexual misconduct had been reported during the same period.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Yoliswa Sobuwa at City Press (subscriber access only)

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