Valhalla Primary School teacher accused of sexual assault to appear in court

The Valhalla Primary School teacher accused of sexual and common assault is due back in the Pretoria Magistrate Court on Thursday, reports Centurion Rekord.

The 55-year-old teacher was released on R8,000 bail during his last appearance on February 14.

He is facing 24 charges of sexual assault with an additional charge of crimen injuria.

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He was arrested on January 7, after he handed himself over to police, days after he and his wife returned from a church funeral in Nigeria.

Some of the bail conditions handed down to him included him being barred from entering the neighbourhood of Valhalla in Centurion, handing over his passport, and not making contact with his colleagues and/or witnesses.

One of the reasons the magistrate gave for granting him bail was that it would not be in the interest of justice for him to be kept behind bars.

During the two-day-long hearing, the teacher’s defence claimed he had evidence the investigating officer Captain Johannes Mkhondo had requested a R10,000 bribe to make the case disappear.

Mkhondo disputed the claim and offered his two phones for screening.

At the time, Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said it was “disappointing and demoralising” that the teacher was granted bail.

Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona said the teacher had been in the school’s employ since 2017 and was permanently appointed in January 2019.

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