Johannesburg- Residents of Madras in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, are baying for the blood of a 33-year-old teacher accused of sexually abusing pupils.
It all started when an irate mob stormed into his rented house this week and found a 16-year-old pupil naked.
“From last December we have been trying to report what we see to the principal and the school governing body, but they are not doing anything about it,” a community member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
“This week we have confronted the teacher and his brother and told them that if they don’t stop what they are doing we are going to burn down the house they rented.
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“We want the department to fire him because our children are not safe here,” the community member said.
Madras resident Vusi Mkhonza said he was aware of the allegations against the teacher. “When he was confronted about the allegations, he told us that he is also young and there is nothing wrong with falling in love with his pupils.”
A few months ago, the teacher was dragged to the tribal court on a rape charge, which he admitted and paid R5 000 to the family of the girl to stop it from reporting the matter to the police.
When asked about the cases, local chief Tromp Mabuza acknowledged the rape case had been reported at the tribal authority against the teacher.
“I am aware of the rape case that he previously faced,” said Mabuza.“Recently, I heard that they are accusing him again and threatening to burn down the house he rented. We are in the process of calling all the community members, the teacher and his brother to try to find a way to resolve this matter without bloodshed.”
School principal Willy Mhlanga and the school governing body (SGB) chairperson, Derrick Mthombeni, contradicted each other.
Mhlanga said that he had heard of the news during a SGB meeting, while Mthombeni said he never heard the news.
“I only heard this yesterday by the SGB members and they did not even mention the name of the teacher. Soon as I get the formal complaint, I will investigate the matter,” said Mhlanga. The provincial department of education spokesperson, Jasper Zwane, said: “The department at this level was not aware of these allegations. We view this very seriously and we will send a team to investigate.”
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Leonard Mdluli urged those who were allegedly victimised by the teacher to open a case so that the police can intervene.
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