Nine teachers implicated in racism, abuse at Parktown Boys High

Nine teachers at Parktown Boys High in Johannesburg have been implicated in allegations of racism and sexual assault.

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi addressed parents and the media at the school on Thursday evening to give feedback on their investigations.

“There were nine teachers that were implicated, but four we’ve got evidence against them. Of the four, two are employed by the department and two are employed by the school.”

The four teachers will be suspended. One teacher has already resigned and another is facing disciplinary proceedings.

“We’ve already instructed our legal firm to immediately notify the South African Council of Educators (SACE) so that they can at least not be allowed to teach.”

Lesufi met with the school management, the school governing body (SGB) and complainants on Thursday afternoon. Their investigation also focused on allegations around the initiation practices at the school and a bar run on the premises.

He said the management of the hostel and bar was discussed, because it is owned by the Old Parktonian Association and not the school.

“The bar has been identified as a source of these things. When the bar is opened they drink and they do all other things.”

Lesufi said he was informed on Thursday afternoon the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is also investigating sexual assault allegations at the school.

Lesufi said new evidence was presented on Thursday and held up a thick report in the school hall.

“I’ve just received this report now and we need to go through this report as well.”
Lesufi did not say what the new allegations and evidence were about. He added that no names will be mentioned.

“We are not going to mention names. We are just going to give you the number of people implicated‚ the number of people that we found evidence against them and those that we believe need to be charged.”

The media was asked to leave the meeting when a legal team presented the report to parents‚ because the team was not mandated to present the report on camera.

Lesufi said the school is one of the best in the country.

“We also agreed with the SGB that we need to defend the integrity and the image of this school at all costs. That we are not going to allow the image of this school to go under purely because we are not resolving issues that we should attend to.”

Two teachers from the school were recently accused of racism and assault.

IOL reported art teacher Nik Muiznieks resigned after he was recorded during a rant directed at some pupils. In the 45-minute rant he allegedly called some of the pupils “black and white monkeys”. He also allegedly asked an Indian pupil where he can buy explosives to blow up the boarding house and also called him “Isis”. 

IOL reported maths literacy teacher Remo Murabito was accused of assaulting a pupil in class. She allegedly stomped on his foot and slapped him before calling him a “nuisance in my life”.

The school was hit by controversy last year after a former Parktown Boys High School assistant water polo coach was charged with sexually grooming more than 20 pupils in 2015. He was arrested in November 2016 after some of the boys‚ between the ages 15 and 16‚ came forward in early 2017.

The school discovered CCTV footage showing the coach allegedly touching a pupil inappropriately.