The principal of Merchiston Preparatory School in Pietermaritzburg was placed on “precautionary suspension” on Monday after allegations from staff, parents and pupils that he is a “sex pest” and “bullied” vulnerable children.
School governing body (SGB) chair Warren Smith told parents in a letter this was in anticipation of disciplinary steps against Llewellyn Bragin which would be instituted after interviews with complainants last week.
The SGB has been pushing the KwaZulu-Natal education department to suspend him as the complaints arose a few months ago.
It has also made high court applications which, as yet, are unresolved.
Bragin faces about 21 formal complaints.
In a court affidavit Smith alleged:
- “While on a school tour Bragin sneaked into a room occupied by female staff while they were sleeping and made comments “on the way they were sleeping, namely ‘you were spread out like a starfish’.”
- Bragin approached a staff member in her office, saying she was a beautiful woman, he had a crush on her and couldn’t be trusted to be in a room alone with her. “He said I must please not tell anyone, especially his wife.
- He addressed women staffers as “lovey”, “love”, “sweetie”, “queenie” or “babe” while insisting they address him as “Mr Bragin”.
- The principal screamed at and belittled staff, told some to “f*** off” out of his office after a dressing down and threw a file at one teacher.
- He assaulted an eight-year-old boy and told a nine-year-old pupil he would call the police to arrest him and he would never see his mother again.
- Bragin drank heavily at school events and on school trips.He asked staff during a school camp if another teacher “was a virgin and if he is a bit retarded".
- The principal told staff his wife had been appointed as alumni liaison “after a full interview process and she was the preferred candidate”. It has since emerged this was not the case and no interview process had taken place.
- When his wife learnt of a rumoured affair between Bragin and a woman staff member she harassed the woman and sent her threatening WhatsApp messages, after which Bragin applied for two weeks' “wellness leave”.
When the first allegations emerged, Bragin took “wellness leave”.
But Smith, in his affidavit, said when he returned education department officials instead suspended his deputy Eric White and refused to give reasons for this.
He said the school had become “steeped in scandal”.
Bragin, who in his affidavits in the court documents denied the allegations against him, recently secured a Durban labour court order directing the governing body to continue to pay him the portion of his salary it paid to him on top of his salary from the department.
TimesLIVE
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