The South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) on Tuesday called on school governing bodies‚ parents and learners for assistance to “eradicate the scourge of abuse and the sugar-daddy syndrome”.

This came as the party also called for bail to be denied to a “31-year-old teacher accused of assaulting a Grade 11 pupil he was allegedly involved in a romantic relationship with”.

Sanco’s Jabu Mahlangu said that it was alleged “that the perpetrator had exploited his position of trust for an improper sexual relationship with the learner and had administered corporal punishment to the abused victim is a heinous act and a shocking atrocity”.

The teacher is set to appear in court on Tuesday in Manguzi‚ near the Mozambique-South Africa border.

“Corporal punishment and abuse of children by paedophiles in the education system has to be stamped out and those responsible face the wrath of the law‚” he said.

Mahlangu noted that “although corporal punishment was abolished in the country in terms of the Schools Act of 1996‚ it still takes place in schools”‚ and added that “as many as 1.5-million pupils across South Africa were victims of corporal punishment in 2014 alone”.