Tsakani – Two learners from Mbongeni Mgugudu Secondary School claim an employee sexually violated them on the school premises.
The events occurred while the learners were attending overnight Saturday classes on May 4. In one incident, the attempted rape happened after the man allegedly told the learners that he would accompany them to the kitchen for their tea break.
The teenage girl said she was the last person to leave the classroom when the man grabbed her and told her that a certain teacher said she should accompany him to fetch a heater in the office.
“I was confused, but I accompanied him anyway. We went to the office and fetched the heater. On the way back to the classroom, as we were approaching the school toilets, he told me he loved me. He said he would add me as a beneficiary to his medical aid and that he wanted me to date him.
“He then pulled me by my jacket and forcefully slid his hand inside, touching my breasts.
“I kept asking him what he was doing, and he pulled down my tights while I kept pulling them up.
“That is when I realised he intended to rape me. I ran away. He was holding on to my jacket; so tight that it tore as I ran away,” she explained.
The girl went back to the classroom and told her friend and her teacher about what had happened.
When she encountered the man again, she recorded the conversation. She claimed he began insulting her and calling her immature for running away.
ALSO CHECK: Mayor gives power to the people
The Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) spokesperson Steve Mabona said they were aware of these allegations at Mbongeni Mgugudu Secondary School.
“We strongly condemn any acts of misconduct by anyone, which seek to undermine the dignity of our learning institutions.
“Consequently, we dispatched officials to the school to establish the facts about the incident. We have since launched our own investigation and we will communicate the outcome in due course.”
He advised parents to report to the police while the department continues with its investigations.
“We dispatched our psycho-social support team to the school to provide the necessary support,” he said.