Traditional dance teacher also exposed children to porn

The Western Cape High Court has found a dance teacher guilty of raping seven young girls, the Cape Argus reports.

Lawrence Gagu, 49, was also found guilty of one count of sexual grooming and three of exposing young girls to pornography.

The crimes were committed with girls aged 8 to 12, between June 2009 and March 2010.

The children took to the stand and testified how Gagu lured them to his Makhaza shack after dance lessons, on the pretext of his wanting them to clean the shack or run errands.

According to the report, the traditional dance teacher would ask two girls to go home with him, send one of them on an errand and then rape the remaining child.

The court found the girls were reliable witnesses.

Gagu denied all the allegations, saying the girls had fabricated the stories because he suspended a pupil for bad behaviour.

He is expected to be sentenced on October 29.