Danger ahead: alarm as predatory teachers prey on school children​

A teacher-priest arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 12-year-old pupil in KwaZulu-Natal. 

A Boksburg  high school principal receiving oral sex in his office from two pupils and four older women — and filming the antics.  

A school counsellor on trial in Pietermaritzburg for raping and sexually assaulting several boys. 

And a Johannesburg high school water polo coach charged with rape, sexual assault and attempted murder.

For any parent entrusting the safety and wellbeing of their child to a school and its staff, it’s a litany of allegations that makes for grim reading.

In the first case, the teacher — arrested on Wednesday at his new school after  being fired by the school where one of the alleged assaults took place — will make his second court appearance next week.

At Reiger Park No2 Secondary School in Gauteng, the principal resigned in October and served his last day on January 15. 

Now the Gauteng education department wants to rescind his resignation so that he can be fired and prevented from working as a teacher again.

The other two cases are already the subject of high court trials and involve more than 170 allegations against the accused, aged 32 and 22 respectively.

“The department has a zero-tolerance stance on allegations of sexual assault and has never hesitated to act,” said Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi. 

• Read the full story on the Sunday Times website