A Khutsong teacher involved in the area's anti-demarcation activities has been dismissed from his post, the North West provincial education department confirmed yesterday.

A Khutsong teacher involved in the area's anti-demarcation activities has been dismissed from his post, the North West provincial education department confirmed yesterday.

Jomo Mogale, pictured, was dismissed for his "activities and participation in the destabilisation of schooling in Khutsong", department spokesman Charles Raseala said.

Schooling has been disrupted over the past few months in Khutsong.

This came as residents in the area staged violent protests against being incorporated into North West from Gauteng.

Mogale, who is the spokesman for the Anti-North West Forum, was dismissed on Monday after a departmental disciplinary hearing.

He was suspended from his post in April.

Raseala said Mogale "knowingly and purposively" incited pupils to boycott classes, and had threatened with violence those who did not want to participate.

Raseala said Mogale was unable to account for his absence from school on days that community protests took place.

Mogale's lawyer, Phillip Masilo, said the charges against his client for his involvement in demarcation protests and his position as a teacher had "nothing to do with each other".

"People have a right to their opinion," he said.

Masilo said he did not believe the department had provided enough evidence to prove the allegations about Mogale.

He said Mogale's dismissal was part of a larger victimisation of civil servants who spoke out about problems in South Africa.

Masilo compared Mogale's situation to that of Frere Hospital medical superintendent, Nokuzola Ntshona, who was apparently suspended for speaking out about bad conditions at the hospital. - Sapa