Former Mbilwi teacher granted R3k bail

A 50-year-old former Mbilwi Secondary School teacher in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, was granted R3 000 bail.

He is accused of raping a pupil.

Makhuvha Solomon was granted bail in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The teacher, who has since resigned, was arrested on 14 May.

According to the police, the pupil was allegedly raped on several occasions in 2018.

The victim, who is now 20, opened a case at the Thohoyandou police station in April.

The accused faces three counts of rape.

NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the teacher allegedly threatened the victim and offered money for her silence.

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Conditions

Malabi-Dzhangi said Solomon was granted bail, with conditions.

Among the conditions are that the teacher does not communicate with the victim in any manner, he may not leave the province without informing the investigating officer, and he has to report to Sibasa Correctional Services every last Friday of the month.

The case was postponed to 16 August 2021.

Mbilwi Secondary School first made headlines in April following the suicide of Grade 10 pupil, Lufuno Mavhunga.

Mavhunga took an overdose of pills after she was bullied at school.

A video of the incident went viral on social media, which captured the girl being slapped multiple times by another pupil as other schoolmates cheered and watched on.

The SA Human Rights Commission held hearings in the province in May, where bullying, sexual relations between teachers and pupils, and corporal punishment in schools were discussed, News24 reported.

Different speakers from NGOs, teacher trade unions and student organisations, as well as parents, participated in the hearings.

At the hearings, weaknesses in the education system were highlighted.