A private school has fired a newly appointed sports coordinator amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour levelled against him by several hostel students.
Private education provider AdvTech confirmed that a number of hostel students at Glenwood House School in George in the Western Cape had informed parents on August 29 of the allegations against the employee.
TimesLIVE Premium understands that the staff member, who was also a boarding house assistant, is alleged to have called pupils names such as “baby face” and “sweetheart”. He is also alleged to have put his hands on some of the girls’ hips while they were queuing for supper in the kitchen.
It was also reliably learnt that because of the shortage of staff in the hostel at the time, the employee was offered a room in the boarding house in exchange for helping out with hostel duties.
An outraged parent said schools need to be vigilant, open and transparent “when things like this happen”.
“As a parent, I am outraged, but more than my outrage, I’m scared for my child. I wish I could sit knowing that there is protection and that there is zero tolerance for people who do these things, irrespective of their station within the pecking order of the school.”
He said the matter must be treated “even-handedly, swiftly and with maximum transparency”.
Another parent applauded the school for its swift response to the matter.
Mike Aitken, MD for AdvTech’s House Schools’ group, said the employee joined the school on a fixed-term contract on August 1.
“As is standard practice in our school, a police clearance certificate was obtained, and all criminal checks were conducted before the commencement of the contract. All checks were clear.”
We can confirm that the individual’s employment has been terminated. All allegations are taken seriously and due process was followed in this matter.
— Mike Aitken, MD for AdvTech’s House Schools’ group
He said after obtaining independent statements from the various students, a disciplinary hearing was held last week.
“We can confirm that the individual’s employment has been terminated. All allegations are taken seriously and due process was followed in this matter.”
He said the matter had also been reported to the police.
“Now that the internal disciplinary process has been concluded, it will also be reported to the SA Council for Educators (Sace). The safety, security and wellbeing of our students remain our priority,” Aitken said.
According to a letter sent to parents last Wednesday informing them of the allegations, “parents of the affected pupils were kept abreast during the process and the affected students were offered counselling”.
Western Cape police spokesperson captain Malcolm Pojie confirmed that a sexual assault docket was opened for further investigation at the George police station last Tuesday.
He said preliminary investigations by the George family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit “suggests that a 53-year-old touched some of the pupils inappropriately”.
“The investigation is at an early and sensitive stage and no arrest has been made yet.”
Meanwhile, the Gauteng education department said on Saturday that it received allegations that a grade 10 boy from Ponelopele Oracle Secondary School in Midrand sexually harassed two grade eight pupils after school last Tuesday and Wednesday.
“These incidents were only reported to the principal on Thursday. The school called the parents of the victims and the perpetrator to inform them of the incident, all of whom were not aware of it.”
In another incident last Friday involving the same school, another parent of a grade eight pupil reported a case of sexual harassment by three boys, including two from grade 10 and one from grade 11.
The department said that psychosocial support was provided to the victims and their parents by district officials and that disciplinary hearings have been scheduled for the perpetrators. Police are also investigating the circumstances surrounding the allegations.
Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said these cases “were worrisome and any pupil or employee who is reported to have sexually harassed anyone on our school premises will face the necessary disciplinary action, and can possibly be removed from our school”.
“We urge victims or witnesses to report such cases so that they can be dealt with immediately,” he said.
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