Dept takes action against teachers found guilty of gross misconduct

THE DEPARTMENT of Basic Education (DBE) has fired 11 teachers, including several charged with sexual assault of pupils.

The South African Council for Educators (SACE) said it investigated 443 cases against teachers, ranging from assault and theft to sexual harassment against pupils and teachers and sexual violence against pupils.

In its annual report before Parliament, SACE said some of the teachers were found guilty of sexual violence.

In Gauteng, there were four teachers who were fired for sexual assault charges, while in Mpumalanga three teachers were removed for severe assault of pupils and locking a pupil in a storeroom. In the North West, Western Cape and the Free State three teachers were fired for sexual assault of pupils.

“As can be seen, the 11 teachers removed from the register of practising teachers committed serious offences, pertaining to sexual misconduct and assault of pupils, all cases which have had the effect of bringing the teaching profession into disrepute. A total of nine of these cases were indefinite removal and committal of their names to the Department of Social Development, wherein they are entered into a register of persons that are unfit to work with children,” said SACE in the report.

SACE also said it was investigating 443 cases during the last financial year.

But there was a decline in the number of cases reported, when Covid-19 forced the country to go into lockdown in March.

When the schools closed during the months of April and May, there were no cases reported.

However, the numbers shot up later in the year.

“In the year under review, the council received 443 cases of misconduct against teachers, divided between 42 new cases in the first quarter, 106 cases in the second quarter, 40 cases in the third quarter, and 255 cases in the fourth quarter,” said SACE in the report.