Parliament's committee on education urges immediate action and accountability from the Eastern Cape Department of Education over the mishandling of a child rape case at Bergview College.
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Parliament's Select Committee on Education, Sciences, and the Creative Industries has expressed disappointment over the Eastern Cape Department of Education's handling of a suspected child rape case.
Chairperson Makhi Feni criticised the department's response, particularly its decision to deregister the private school, arguing that it does not address the serious issue of child sexual violation.
Feni emphasised that the department's actions following the October 2024 incident were insufficient.
"The deregistration of Bergview College does not address the sexual violation of a child and it’s not clear what this action from the department in the Eastern Cape seeks to achieve," he said.
The committee is calling for accountability, demanding that the alleged perpetrator and any potential accomplices be arrested immediately.
"We therefore demand accountability which in essence means the alleged perpetrator and those he could have colluded with should be arrested as in yesterday," Feni said.
He also stressed the importance of psycho-social support for the victim, suggesting that trauma counseling should have been a priority from the start.
"It would be best and in the interest of the child if psycho-social support had been provided, and ongoing trauma counselling administered," he noted.
The department announced the deregistration of Bergview College on Friday, citing inaction by the school principal over the rape case. However, it remains unclear why this decision was made months after the alleged incident.
Feni criticised the department for its delayed response, saying, “All we do is wait until there is a social media storm, and only then do we act like something is being done. The approach of waiting for hashtag campaigns should stop; we demand accountability now.”
Furthermore, Feni pointed out that the department should avoid knee-jerk reactions.
"The department should avoid a situation where their reactions are seen as knee-jerk," he said.
He suggested that a more sustainable solution would be to suspend the alleged perpetrator and disband the school’s governing body while investigations are ongoing.
In response to the incident, the committee has proactively contacted the provincial departments of education, social development, and the South African Police Service, and awaits responses.
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