Teacher accuses learner of affair

PIENAAR – Last Friday a grade 10 learner of Mayibuye High School, whose name can’t be revealed, was brutally assaulted by a female teacher who accused her of having an affair with her husband.

It was reported that the pupil was called by the teacher into the staffroom after school.
The woman was alleged to have interrogated her for about and hour before she proceeded to beat her with sticks. The learner cried out for mercy, but was ignored.
The girl was rescued by general workers. She sustained injuries to her arms and neck as it was alleged that the teacher also tried to strangle her.

This incident left other learners in shock as they said to this publication that they no longer felt safe on the school premises. One of them said, “Teachers are like parents to us, but what happened last Friday was very disturbing. Corporal punishment was banned a long time ago.

“How can the teacher brutally assault the learner for silly accusations because I doubt that she has proof of the alleged affair. Her actions were very childish. She owes the learner an apology and she must do it in front of all the pupils because the whole school now knows about the matter.

“Although we don’t have the authority to enforce that we will do everything in our power to make sure it happens,” she concluded.
The provincial leadership of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) visited the school on Monday. Speaking to this reporter regarding this incident, the provincial chairperson of Cosas Mr Vusi Khumalo said, “We have noted this incident as the executive committee of the union and we are shocked because it occurred on the school premises.

“We have always urged the Department of Education to pay more attention to corporal punishment in schools, but it is ignoring this matter.

“We want the teacher to be fired immediately because if you are doing something that is against the law, you are a criminal.

“We can’t allow children to be taught by criminals.
“In our investigation, we have discovered that this matter is not even work related, it is a private dispute.
“The teacher used the wrong platform at the wrong time. She must be fired.”