Pupils say were either threatened or promised money or a pass at the end of the year if they did not tell
THE Gauteng department of education is to investigate allegations at a Pretoria school that a teacher almost raped a schoolgirl this week.
A teacher at the Pretoria Secondary School in the central business district of Pretoria allegedly tried to force himself on a Grade 9 pupil in a classroom on Monday.
Several other teachers at the same school were alleged to have sexually abused pupils and the department (GDE) promised to investigate all the allegations.
GDE spokesperson Charles Phahlane said: "The department is shocked by the allegations and we view them in a very serious light.
"The educator who attempted to rape a learner is in the process of being suspended."
Phahlane said the GDE would send a team to investigate all the allegations of sexual abuse at the school "with a view to taking further action against those implicated".
Police spokesperson Captain Jan Legoabe confirmed the incident, saying a case has been opened and investigations were continuing.
Several pupils told Sowetan that rape was rife at the school but many pupils feared to report their ordeal because they were either threatened or promised money or a pass at the end of the year if they did not tell.
They said some were bribed with airtime by the perpetrators while others saw reporting the perpetrators as a futile exercise as the principal would not take any action.
The pupils said the rapes occurred during and after school.
The latest victim said that she had gone to school on Monday to submit textbooks when a schoolmate told her that a certain teacher wanted to see her.
"I went because I thought he wanted to tell me something about my test results. On arrival in the classroom, I became suspicious when he asked me to lock the door behind me because he did not want other people to hear the discussion.
"He asked me to move closer and he grabbed me. I tried to scream but he muffled me by forcefully kissing me with his lips covering my whole mouth," she said.
"He then pushed me on to a chair. With one hand, he unzipped my pants and he inserted his fingers into my vagina.
"As he struggled to unzip his pants I managed to break free."
She added that once she had left the room, "he stood at the door and warned me not to tell anyone, saying what happened in here should remain between the two of us".
- Earlier this year, Filadelfia Secondary School for the visually impaired, hearing impaired and physically challenged pupils in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, was hit by a similar scandal which resulted in the dismissal of three teachers while two others resigned.
Currently three security guards, a cook, a gardener and a deaf general assistant are being investigated for allegedly having raped disabled pupils at the school.
- Deputy Minister of Public Works Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, a former pupil at the school, went public this year, alleging that she had been raped by a teacher 20 years ago. She fell pregnant as a result and was later expelled while in Grade 8.
'Rape rife' at Pretoria school
Pupils say were either threatened or promised money or a pass at the end of the year if they did not tell
THE Gauteng department of education is to investigate allegations at a Pretoria school that a teacher almost raped a schoolgirl this week.
A teacher at the Pretoria Secondary School in the central business district of Pretoria allegedly tried to force himself on a Grade 9 pupil in a classroom on Monday.
Several other teachers at the same school were alleged to have sexually abused pupils and the department (GDE) promised to investigate all the allegations.
GDE spokesperson Charles Phahlane said: "The department is shocked by the allegations and we view them in a very serious light.
"The educator who attempted to rape a learner is in the process of being suspended."
Phahlane said the GDE would send a team to investigate all the allegations of sexual abuse at the school "with a view to taking further action against those implicated".
Police spokesperson Captain Jan Legoabe confirmed the incident, saying a case has been opened and investigations were continuing.
Several pupils told Sowetan that rape was rife at the school but many pupils feared to report their ordeal because they were either threatened or promised money or a pass at the end of the year if they did not tell.
They said some were bribed with airtime by the perpetrators while others saw reporting the perpetrators as a futile exercise as the principal would not take any action.
The pupils said the rapes occurred during and after school.
The latest victim said that she had gone to school on Monday to submit textbooks when a schoolmate told her that a certain teacher wanted to see her.
"I went because I thought he wanted to tell me something about my test results. On arrival in the classroom, I became suspicious when he asked me to lock the door behind me because he did not want other people to hear the discussion.
"He asked me to move closer and he grabbed me. I tried to scream but he muffled me by forcefully kissing me with his lips covering my whole mouth," she said.
"He then pushed me on to a chair. With one hand, he unzipped my pants and he inserted his fingers into my vagina.
"As he struggled to unzip his pants I managed to break free."
She added that once she had left the room, "he stood at the door and warned me not to tell anyone, saying what happened in here should remain between the two of us".
Currently three security guards, a cook, a gardener and a deaf general assistant are being investigated for allegedly having raped disabled pupils at the school.