Teacher gets life for rape of girl 16 years ago

A Mpumalanga teacher has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 15-year-girl he also impregnated 16 years ago.

The Piet Retief Regional Court on Monday sentenced Elphas Ndlovu to life imprisonment for the crime he committed in 2001.

Provincial police spokesman Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said Ndlovu‚ 46‚ was found guilty of the crime last week.

“His sentencing emanated from an incident that occurred in 2001 in which Ndlovu impregnated a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Piet Retief.

“According to the proceedings in court‚ it emerged that Ndlovu promised the family to pay damages but failed. During February 2002‚ the family then decided to report the matter to the police‚ hence his sentence today‚” Hlathi said.

Hlathi told the Sowetan that had it not been for the Piet Retief cluster Family Violence and Child Protection Unit commander Captain Mbongeni Ezra Myeni‚ the case would not have been solved with the docket gathering dust.

“The investigating officer in this case resigned and the station commander died. When the new station commander arrived‚ he made a follow-up on cases with dockets gathering dust.

“He wanted to know why this case was never solved and appointed a new investigating officer. The teacher was arrested last year. All the evidence was in the docket and there was a warrant for the teacher’s arrest‚” Hlathi said.

South African Council for Educators (Sace) spokesman Themba Ndhlovu said Ndlovu was not a qualified teacher when he raped the girl but steps would be taken because he was a member of the council.

“He has tarnished the image of Sace. Action is taken against any teacher found guilty of having a sexual relationship with a pupil. He will definitely be struck off the roll‚” Ndhlovu said.

In its 2015/2016 annual report‚ Sace withdrew 38 cases before hearings. This‚ the council said‚ was due to parents’ lack of cooperation with investigations.

At least 25 teachers were struck off the roll indefinitely in the same period between April 2015 to March last year.

“The council came across many cases where parents do not cooperate with investigations into teachers having sexual relationships with pupils. Parents are unwilling to cooperate because they have been promised something.

“It is only when the people disappear that parents come out. We call on parents not to sell the lives of our pupils for material things. Teachers who do this damage our pupils‚” Ndhlovu said.

TMG Digital/Sowetan