Gynaecologist is not God, principal tells pregnant teacher

A principal from Makabelane Technical and Commercial High School in Phuthaditjhaba, in the Free State, will report at the education district offices pending an investigation after a number of allegations were levelled against him, including refusing to allow a heavily pregnant teacher to take maternity leave.

A video surfaced on social media last week where a pregnant teacher was taken from the school on a stretcher after she fainted in the school’s toilet. Her colleagues could be heard crying and screaming in the background, with some saying, “God should be with her and everything will be fine.”

The 25-year-old teacher, who was employed this year as a temporary teacher, is due to give birth in December and is now recovering at home. “When I asked him about my maternity leave, he said the gynaecologist was not God, I will only take leave when the school closes on December 15,” the teacher said.