A school where a pupil recently committed suicide after being beaten and bullied by a fellow pupil has been caught up in another scandal, after allegations that a teacher dated a matric pupil in 2019.
The Limpopo provincial education department has also confirmed to Sunday Times Daily that Nyambeni Lidzhade, the principal of Mbilwi Secondary School in Limpopo, where the bullying occurred, is being investigated for inflicting corporal punishment on a pupil.
The incident involving Lidzhade’s use of corporal punishment is unrelated to the case in which Lufuno Mavhunga, a grade 10 pupil at the school, took her own life after being bullied and beaten by a fellow pupil on April 12.
The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) confirmed on Tuesday that it had received a tip-off about more alleged improper conduct at the school. The tip-off revolved around a teacher’s alleged relationship with a pupil, who was 16-years-old at the time. The information emerged after the SAHRC appealed to the public to report incidents of bullying after Mavhunga’s death.
Victor Mavhidula, provincial manager for the SAHRC in Limpopo, said they met police officials last week and were told that a complainant had registered a case with them against a teacher.
“There was a recording between the learner and teacher but I don’t want to pre-empt the police investigation.”
He said that pupils did not want to report cases of teachers dating them because “they were scared of failing”.
There was a recording between the learner and teacher but I don’t want to pre-empt the police investigation.
— Victor Mavhidula, provincial manager for the SAHRC in Limpopo
Limpopo education department spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene confirmed that they were made aware of the teacher dating case through the provincial SAHRC.
“The commission did not give us a name but we are investigating. The district director was informed by the provincial SAHRC, but was not made privy to the charges.”
Fhulufhedzani Netshitavhe, chairperson of the school governing body, confirmed that the provincial SAHRC informed them during a meeting two weeks ago that a case had been opened against a teacher at a police station in Polokwane.
Meanwhile, concerning the corporal punishment case against Lidzhade, Chuene confirmed that Lidzhade was informed about the investigation against him but has not yet been charged, as investigations have just concluded.
“He has not yet been given an opportunity to plead,” she said.
The provincial SAHRC alerted the department to the corporal punishment case against Lidzhade after it received a video of the incident while conducting a fact-finding trip to the school after Mavhunga’s suicide.
The corporal punishment incident took place in Lidzhade’s office in March and is unrelated to the events surrounding Mavhunga’s death.
Mavhidula told Sunday Times Daily previously that after he showed Lidzhade a video recording of the March 24 beating, he confessed to inflicting corporal punishment on the pupil.
Mavhidula said Lidzhade’s admission was made in the presence of two of his officials and some school staff members.
“I was asking questions, and he was responding, and my colleagues were taking notes. I asked him: ‘Are you aware that corporal punishment is outlawed?’ and he just kept quiet,” said Mavhidula.
Sunday Times Daily has been reliably informed that Lidzhade had used a sjambok — and not a stick — that was normally kept in his office. But the governing body said he had caned the boy, not sjamboked him.
Corporal punishment was banned in SA schools in 1996.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.