Pretoria - Teachers in South African public schools continue to sexually violate and assault pupils despite facing stiff actions and expulsions for breaching the code of conduct for teachers.
This was the essence of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga’s reply to parliamentary questions from the DA’s Desiree van der Walt.
Van der Walt asked Motshekga to give details about the number of sexual misconduct cases reported to the South African Council of Educators (Sace) from 2019 until last year.
She also asked about the number of disciplinary proceedings instituted against the affected teachers, as well as the number of teachers found guilty of such offences.
In reply, Motshekga said that during the 2019/2020 financial year, 92 teachers were charged with different cases of misconduct, including sexual. The number increased substantially in the 2020/2021 financial year to 169.
Last year, the number of sexual misconduct cases stood at 191.
Motshekga said the number of disciplinary hearings for sexual misconduct was 23.
She said the number of teachers found guilty of sexual abuse only in 2019/2020 was 17. Motshekga said the number reduced to 7 in 2020/2021, and increased to 19 in the 2021/2022 financial year.
Motshekgasaid the number of teachers fined for sexual offences in 2019/2020 was 19 – 17 for sexual abuse and two for severe assault.
In the 2020/2021 financial year, the number was 11, resulting in seven teachers being fired for sexual abuse, one for gross negligence, one for assaulting a fellow teacher, and two for assaulting pupils severely.
Last year, however, the number reduced substantially, but three teachers were fired for having sexual relationships with pupils and one was removed from the register for a specified period of time for sexual assault of a pupil.
Motshekga said the number of teachers whose names were submitted to the Department of Social Development for placement on the sexual register of sex offenders stood at 10 in the 2019/20 financial year, 11 in the 2020/21 financial year and 19 last year.
She said the number 10 in the 2019/20 financial year didn’t include the nine teachers who were struck off “because the victims were above the age of 18 years”.
Motshekga said there were sexual abuse cases that were closed due to lack of evidence to substantiate allegations, deliberate unavailability of witnesses (complainants) and refusal by witnesses to co-operate with the investigative or disciplinary processes.
She said the total number of cases closed were cases that were resolved amicably between the parties, or at the request of the complainants, or owing to lack of evidence, or to deliberate lack of co-operation by witnesses.
Motshekga said 224 of such cases were withdrawn in the 2019/20 financial year, and the number was reduced to 116 in 2021, and increased to 310 last year.
Commenting on the response, Van der Walt said given the 199 school days last year that was almost one case of sexual misconduct a day reported to Sace.
“The 2022 crime statistics indicate a total of 294 rapes reported to have occurred on the premises of educational institutions (schools, universities, college, and daycare facilities).
“The DA finds it very concerning that Sace only instituted 23 disciplinary proceedings last year – a mere 12% of the reported cases of sexual misconduct. Of these, 19 educators were found guilty of sexual misconduct, yet only four were struck off the roll indefinitely,” she said.
Van der Walt said the complainants’ reluctance to co-operate with Sace indicated a perceived bias against the victims of abuse.
Pretoria News