AN INNER city school is embroiled in controversy after eight of its female teachers were taken to the toilets and made to strip in front of the cleaning staff.
The purpose of the humiliating exercise was to discover which of them were on their menstrual period after a bloodstain was found in the toilet. The incident happened at the controversial private King’s College in East London last Tuesday.
Human rights activists yesterday described it in terms like “disgusting” and “ghastly”.
Teachers told the Saturday Dispatch they had never felt so “humiliated and abused”.
Their identities have been withheld to protect their dignity. Seven were foreign nationals, one South African. Each was called into the female toilet and instructed to remove their clothes in front of a female cleaner to nail the person responsible for the mess.
“At first we were reluctant but we could see the senior teacher, who also plays the role of an administrator, was serious about the matter. I personally felt obliged to take off my clothes to prove my innocence,” said one teacher.
The woman who allegedly ordered the “inspection” is the head of Grade 1, identified only as Mrs Chiro. It was further alleged that school director Johann Nell approved the search.
“I just felt abused and stripped of my human dignity. I felt dirty and undermined in my own workplace,” said the teacher. “I have never heard of such madness, ever. Yes, we know it was not the first time such dirt had been found in our toilet but to actually make us strip our panties to check if we were telling the truth or not was beyond disgusting.”
While some felt compelled to undergo the inspection, one teacher said she stood her ground and refused to be humiliated. “I told them I would not do it. It did not make sense to me. I was disgusted by even the idea of them suggesting that to adults. I understood their frustration but I refuse to be disrespected like that,” she said.
South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) spokesman Isaac Mangena said if the allegations were true, the human dignity and bodily integrity rights of the teachers were violated.
The Saturday Dispatch confronted Chiro at school yesterday, but she denied forcing the teachers to strip. Probed further, she called Nell.
Nell, however, distanced himself from the incident.
“I first found out about the incident from an anonymous man, who called me to complain about what happened. I called the school principal enquiring about the matter. I even called Mrs Chiro and enquired about the incident.
“It was not the first time that such dirt had been found in the female teachers’ toilet.”
Nell said when he enquired about the incident, Chiro came to his office and said she had called a meeting with the female teachers and that an inspection had been conducted.
He claimed he did not question what the inspection entailed.
“One teacher admitted she was on her period but she swore it was not her who had caused the mess and we took her word for it.
“We never really found who had caused the mess,” Nell said.
Nell said he was shocked by the allegations of a strip search.
“If the allegations are found to be true, Mrs Chiro will definitely be summoned and she will have to answer to the management. No human being deserves such treatment, it is totally unacceptable.”
Mangena said the affected teachers could report the matter and take further action against those concerned.
“They were literally stripped of their dignity. We would urge them to come forward and file a complaint against the management.
“They even have the right to go to the police with such a case. Whether they are locals or foreigners, that does not change the seriousness of their case,” Mangena said.
Provincial education spokesman Mali Mtima said the department would assemble a team to attend to the matter urgently.
“Since there were human rights that were infringed and humiliation of our staff members, we shall ensure that all of them see counsellors for starters and a disciplinary hearing on the matter shall begin the moment the investigation is wrapped up,” Mtima said.
A legal officer from the provincial Commission For Gender Equality, Kerry Oosthuysen, said they would follow up and investigate the case.
“Such degrading and ghastly conduct is unacceptable in the new constitutional democracy and clearly violates the teachers’ rights to dignity, equality, privacy and fair labour practice.”
The school has been at the centre of controversy before, when Nell, who has been convicted of fraud and forgery, was busted for illegally running the college in 2008.
When Nell was confronted about the allegations of operating the school illegally in 2008, the Dispatch reporting team said he and his three teachers physically assaulted them.
Earlier this year the school again made headlines when they chased a five-year-old pupil away for having dreadlocks. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
College orders 8 teachers to strip
The purpose of the humiliating exercise was to discover which of them were on their menstrual period after a bloodstain was found in the toilet. The incident happened at the controversial private King’s College in East London last Tuesday.
Human rights activists yesterday described it in terms like “disgusting” and “ghastly”.
Teachers told the Saturday Dispatch they had never felt so “humiliated and abused”.
Their identities have been withheld to protect their dignity. Seven were foreign nationals, one South African. Each was called into the female toilet and instructed to remove their clothes in front of a female cleaner to nail the person responsible for the mess.
“At first we were reluctant but we could see the senior teacher, who also plays the role of an administrator, was serious about the matter. I personally felt obliged to take off my clothes to prove my innocence,” said one teacher.
The woman who allegedly ordered the “inspection” is the head of Grade 1, identified only as Mrs Chiro. It was further alleged that school director Johann Nell approved the search.
“I just felt abused and stripped of my human dignity. I felt dirty and undermined in my own workplace,” said the teacher. “I have never heard of such madness, ever. Yes, we know it was not the first time such dirt had been found in our toilet but to actually make us strip our panties to check if we were telling the truth or not was beyond disgusting.”
While some felt compelled to undergo the inspection, one teacher said she stood her ground and refused to be humiliated. “I told them I would not do it. It did not make sense to me. I was disgusted by even the idea of them suggesting that to adults. I understood their frustration but I refuse to be disrespected like that,” she said.
South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) spokesman Isaac Mangena said if the allegations were true, the human dignity and bodily integrity rights of the teachers were violated.
The Saturday Dispatch confronted Chiro at school yesterday, but she denied forcing the teachers to strip. Probed further, she called Nell.
Nell, however, distanced himself from the incident.
“I first found out about the incident from an anonymous man, who called me to complain about what happened. I called the school principal enquiring about the matter. I even called Mrs Chiro and enquired about the incident.
“It was not the first time that such dirt had been found in the female teachers’ toilet.”
Nell said when he enquired about the incident, Chiro came to his office and said she had called a meeting with the female teachers and that an inspection had been conducted.
He claimed he did not question what the inspection entailed.
“One teacher admitted she was on her period but she swore it was not her who had caused the mess and we took her word for it.
“We never really found who had caused the mess,” Nell said.
Nell said he was shocked by the allegations of a strip search.
“If the allegations are found to be true, Mrs Chiro will definitely be summoned and she will have to answer to the management. No human being deserves such treatment, it is totally unacceptable.”
Mangena said the affected teachers could report the matter and take further action against those concerned.
“They were literally stripped of their dignity. We would urge them to come forward and file a complaint against the management.
“They even have the right to go to the police with such a case. Whether they are locals or foreigners, that does not change the seriousness of their case,” Mangena said.
Provincial education spokesman Mali Mtima said the department would assemble a team to attend to the matter urgently.
“Since there were human rights that were infringed and humiliation of our staff members, we shall ensure that all of them see counsellors for starters and a disciplinary hearing on the matter shall begin the moment the investigation is wrapped up,” Mtima said.
A legal officer from the provincial Commission For Gender Equality, Kerry Oosthuysen, said they would follow up and investigate the case.
“Such degrading and ghastly conduct is unacceptable in the new constitutional democracy and clearly violates the teachers’ rights to dignity, equality, privacy and fair labour practice.”
The school has been at the centre of controversy before, when Nell, who has been convicted of fraud and forgery, was busted for illegally running the college in 2008.
When Nell was confronted about the allegations of operating the school illegally in 2008, the Dispatch reporting team said he and his three teachers physically assaulted them.
Earlier this year the school again made headlines when they chased a five-year-old pupil away for having dreadlocks. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
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