By ZOLILE MENZELWA and SIKHO NTSHOBANE
The Eastern Cape education department has formed a task team to look into claims that a primary school principal in KwaBhaca (formerly Mount Frere) has allegedly sexually assaulted several pupils.
Angry parents are demanding the arrest of the principal, after several schoolgirls came forward earlier this month.
The girls are between eight and 12 years of age.
One parent, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her child, has opened a case of rape with the police, after the child revealed that the man had inserted a finger into the little girl’s private parts.
KwaBhaca police spokeswoman Captain Edith Mjoko confirmed that the case had been opened this week.
“Investigations are being done into this as we speak,” she added.
When the Daily Dispatch visited the school on Thursday, the principal was nowhere to be found.
The principal arrived at the school in 2015.
One parent said the first known alleged incident, in June this year, involved a 12-year-old girl in Grade 7.
The principal allegedly asked the girl to open the school gate for him and then he professed his love for her.
“He asked her if she loved him back and the child said she didn’t know anything. That is when he told her not to worry as they would wait until she turned 18 before starting a relationship.”
The girl had reported the matter to her grandmother, who then confronted the principal. It is alleged that the principal had admitted to the accusations but begged for forgiveness, saying it would never happen again.
The matter was never reported to the school governing body (SGB) or the department.
Another young girl claimed he had tried to kiss her but that she managed to push him away. This was after he had called her into his office on September 4, the child’s angry mother claimed.
The principal denied it after being confronted by angry parents.
However, more children came forward, with some alleging he had lifted their pinafores and molested them.
Two weeks ago, the parents met with teachers at the school and told them about the claims.
This was followed by a meeting last Monday in which some of the girls restated their claims in front of the principal. He left the school immediately after the meeting and has not been seen at the school since.
The parents said five girls at the school had claimed to have been abused by the man, while three more who are no longer at the school, had also come forward.
The parents said they had heard rumours that the principal had been fired from schools in Tsolo and Maclear after similar allegations.
Some teachers claimed they had reported the matter to the education department’s circuit manager in the area but instead she had accused them of emotionally abusing the principal and threatened that the department would remove them from the school if this continued.
“She lashed out asking where the mothers of the victims were and why had these claims against the principal not been sorted out inside the school,” said the SGB chairman.
One staff member said she had seen the principal try to squeeze the buttocks of a young girl one day. She had immediately reported the matter to the SGB.
Attempts to contact the principal proved unsuccessful as his cellphone was on voicemail. Provincial education spokesman Mali Mtima said the department had instructed the district office in KwaBhaca to establish a task team to visit the school, after hearing about the matter from the Dispatch.
“The preliminary investigation will focus on pupils and a social worker will provide counselling.
“We want to see if there is prima facie evidence to warrant a full investigation,” said Mtima.
He said the task team would hand a report to the provincial office this afternoon. —
zolilem@dispatch.co.za/ sikhon@dispatch.co.za
‘Sex pest’ principal report today
The Eastern Cape education department has formed a task team to look into claims that a primary school principal in KwaBhaca (formerly Mount Frere) has allegedly sexually assaulted several pupils.
Angry parents are demanding the arrest of the principal, after several schoolgirls came forward earlier this month.
The girls are between eight and 12 years of age.
One parent, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her child, has opened a case of rape with the police, after the child revealed that the man had inserted a finger into the little girl’s private parts.
KwaBhaca police spokeswoman Captain Edith Mjoko confirmed that the case had been opened this week.
“Investigations are being done into this as we speak,” she added.
When the Daily Dispatch visited the school on Thursday, the principal was nowhere to be found.
The principal arrived at the school in 2015.
One parent said the first known alleged incident, in June this year, involved a 12-year-old girl in Grade 7.
The principal allegedly asked the girl to open the school gate for him and then he professed his love for her.
“He asked her if she loved him back and the child said she didn’t know anything. That is when he told her not to worry as they would wait until she turned 18 before starting a relationship.”
The girl had reported the matter to her grandmother, who then confronted the principal. It is alleged that the principal had admitted to the accusations but begged for forgiveness, saying it would never happen again.
The matter was never reported to the school governing body (SGB) or the department.
Another young girl claimed he had tried to kiss her but that she managed to push him away. This was after he had called her into his office on September 4, the child’s angry mother claimed.
The principal denied it after being confronted by angry parents.
However, more children came forward, with some alleging he had lifted their pinafores and molested them.
Two weeks ago, the parents met with teachers at the school and told them about the claims.
This was followed by a meeting last Monday in which some of the girls restated their claims in front of the principal. He left the school immediately after the meeting and has not been seen at the school since.
The parents said five girls at the school had claimed to have been abused by the man, while three more who are no longer at the school, had also come forward.
The parents said they had heard rumours that the principal had been fired from schools in Tsolo and Maclear after similar allegations.
Some teachers claimed they had reported the matter to the education department’s circuit manager in the area but instead she had accused them of emotionally abusing the principal and threatened that the department would remove them from the school if this continued.
“She lashed out asking where the mothers of the victims were and why had these claims against the principal not been sorted out inside the school,” said the SGB chairman.
One staff member said she had seen the principal try to squeeze the buttocks of a young girl one day. She had immediately reported the matter to the SGB.
Attempts to contact the principal proved unsuccessful as his cellphone was on voicemail. Provincial education spokesman Mali Mtima said the department had instructed the district office in KwaBhaca to establish a task team to visit the school, after hearing about the matter from the Dispatch.
“The preliminary investigation will focus on pupils and a social worker will provide counselling.
“We want to see if there is prima facie evidence to warrant a full investigation,” said Mtima.
He said the task team would hand a report to the provincial office this afternoon. —
zolilem@dispatch.co.za/ sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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