By Lungi Langa
A teacher has been placed on temporary suspension pending an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment after Masibambane Secondary School learners in Nsimbini claimed he made sexual advances towards female pupils.
Teaching and learning resumed on Monday after the school was closed on Thursday and Friday due to disruptions caused by protest action by learners.
SGB chairperson Scelo Mbambo said pupils had reported the mathematics teacher earlier last week and asked the school management team to investigate the allegations.
He said the matter was still being dealt with when pupils decided to protest on Thursday, calling for the teacher to be removed from the school.
“According to the pupils, the teacher had been contacting the pupils on their cellphones via the messaging app WhatsApp. It could be that he might have accessed their contacts during a school programme that was set up to assist pupils during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Mbambo.
He said they were not at liberty to divulge the details surrounding the alleged conversations the teacher is believed to have had with the pupils, as they are the subject of an ongoing investigation into the teacher’s conduct.
On Thursday the angry pupils declined to go to class, demanding feedback on a complaint that was delivered to the school management team by the pupils. This led the school principal to close the school.
A learner who cannot be named alleged that the teacher had targeted girls in Grades 11 and 12. It is believed that he was targeting at least four girls in the school.
“One of the learners said he had been buying her airtime and data and doing other favours for her,” said the learner.
A teacher who spoke to Scrolla.Africa said a marathon of meetings was held with various stakeholders including the school management team, parents, traditional leadership as well as police. In a meeting on Sunday, it was decided that the school would return to normal on Monday.
Mbambo said parents were angry due to the allegations and had called for the teacher to be removed from the school regardless of the outcome of the investigation.
KwaZulu-Natal Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said that the department was investigating the allegations levelled against the teacher.
He said the department took any allegations about teachers “being romantically involved” with learners seriously. He warned teachers to abstain from being flirtatious or acting inappropriately with learners.
Mahlambi confirmed that when such investigations were being carried out they would need to remove the teacher in question from the school pending the outcome of the investigation into the allegations.
Pictured above: Girls playing at the Masibambane Secondary School
Image source: Masibambane Secondary School
