The parent of a 12-year-old Kuswag Primary School pupil whose arm was fractured when a teacher kicked a ball at him is suing the school.
Nontombi Gwele said she had taken legal action and wants justice for her son. “I trusted the school to take care of my son but they failed to. Instead he was hurt and no one helped him,” said Gwele.
The teacher, whose name is known to the Dispatch, has since resigned after an investigation by the education department revealed that he had been fired from Komga Junior School for violating children’s rights. Education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said Gwele would have to sue the school governing body (SGB) and not the school because the teacher was employed by the SGB. SGB chairwoman Siphokazi Buda yesterday confirmed they had received some correspondence from Gwele’s attorney.
A week ago, the Dispatch reported that the child said the teacher deliberately kicked the ball at him after he told the teacher he was too tired to continue with soccer practice. According to the mother no first-aid was administered to her son and it was not the first time the teacher had “mishandled” her son.
A few days after the report was published, the Dispatch was contacted by a former Komga Junior School parent who said the same teacher had sent her daughter “inappropriate” cellphone messages back in 2011.
The parent, who asked not be named to protect the identity of her daughter, now doing matric at another school, said one evening when she checked her then 12-year-old daughter’s cellphone, she came across “shocking” text messages sent by the teacher. “He asked her what she was doing, she replied she was in bed. He then asked her what she was doing in bed. I was shocked and immediately deleted the texts and went to report the matter to the school. I got the police and child protection involved and he was given a warning and he continued to teach at the school.
“This guy should not be teaching, he should be in jail,” said the mom.
Another former Komga parent said the teacher had tried to get her daughter to go with him to his flat.
“My daughter was 15 at the time.
“She is very clever, she refused and nothing came of his attempts,” she said.
Another parent said the teacher was eventually fired from the school in 2015 for inappropriately touching her daughter.
“He tongue-kissed my daughter after fondling her in the swimming pool. I reported the matter and he was fired,” said the parent.
Mtima said an investigation had revealed that the teacher was implicated in a number of cases where he violated the rights of children at Komga Junior.
“He was implicated in cases where he had apparently hit and pushed children around,” said Mtima.
Buda said the teacher resigned after they confronted him with the findings from the department’s investigation.
“We were shocked and couldn't believe that something like this could happen at the school. When we interviewed him for the job we did a background check on his previous employment and nothing came up,” said Buda.
Both the department and Buda indicated no further action will be taken against the teacher since he had resigned at the school.
Kuswag SGB sued for child’s assault
Nontombi Gwele said she had taken legal action and wants justice for her son. “I trusted the school to take care of my son but they failed to. Instead he was hurt and no one helped him,” said Gwele.
The teacher, whose name is known to the Dispatch, has since resigned after an investigation by the education department revealed that he had been fired from Komga Junior School for violating children’s rights. Education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said Gwele would have to sue the school governing body (SGB) and not the school because the teacher was employed by the SGB. SGB chairwoman Siphokazi Buda yesterday confirmed they had received some correspondence from Gwele’s attorney.
A week ago, the Dispatch reported that the child said the teacher deliberately kicked the ball at him after he told the teacher he was too tired to continue with soccer practice. According to the mother no first-aid was administered to her son and it was not the first time the teacher had “mishandled” her son.
A few days after the report was published, the Dispatch was contacted by a former Komga Junior School parent who said the same teacher had sent her daughter “inappropriate” cellphone messages back in 2011.
The parent, who asked not be named to protect the identity of her daughter, now doing matric at another school, said one evening when she checked her then 12-year-old daughter’s cellphone, she came across “shocking” text messages sent by the teacher. “He asked her what she was doing, she replied she was in bed. He then asked her what she was doing in bed. I was shocked and immediately deleted the texts and went to report the matter to the school. I got the police and child protection involved and he was given a warning and he continued to teach at the school.
“This guy should not be teaching, he should be in jail,” said the mom.
Another former Komga parent said the teacher had tried to get her daughter to go with him to his flat.
“My daughter was 15 at the time.
“She is very clever, she refused and nothing came of his attempts,” she said.
Another parent said the teacher was eventually fired from the school in 2015 for inappropriately touching her daughter.
“He tongue-kissed my daughter after fondling her in the swimming pool. I reported the matter and he was fired,” said the parent.
Mtima said an investigation had revealed that the teacher was implicated in a number of cases where he violated the rights of children at Komga Junior.
“He was implicated in cases where he had apparently hit and pushed children around,” said Mtima.
Buda said the teacher resigned after they confronted him with the findings from the department’s investigation.
“We were shocked and couldn't believe that something like this could happen at the school. When we interviewed him for the job we did a background check on his previous employment and nothing came up,” said Buda.
Both the department and Buda indicated no further action will be taken against the teacher since he had resigned at the school.
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