Eastern Cape teacher suspended for alleged corporal punishment

An Eastern Cape teacher has been suspended pending an investigation into alleged corporal punishment at school.

Pictures surfaced on social media of a pupil from Sandi Senior Secondary School in Ntsundwane, in the OR Tambo coastal district, with a swollen hand from an alleged assault by a teacher.

Eastern Cape education MEC Fundile Gade condemned schools still using corporal punishment 28 years after its banning.

“Acts of this nature by educators seek to embarrass the sector and the profession because educator unions representing educators are signatories to the South African Schools Act which abolished corporal punishment and declared it a crime against children.

“We call on law-abiding citizens, including educators, to distance themselves from these malicious and barbaric acts. Failure to do so may lead to the termination of contracts for those found on the wrong side of the law,” said Gade.

Department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the teacher has been suspended while the investigation is under way.

Mtima said parents are encouraged to open a criminal case with the police when corporal punishment occurs.

“Even in this case, the department will side with the victim and her parents will be encouraged to open a case of common assault with the police while the department is continuing its internal investigation,” he said.

The pupil and her peers at school will be included in a training workshop on what to do and where to report corporal punishment, said Mtima.

“The victim will also be given psychosocial support by the department which includes debriefing and counselling, including her parents.

“Gade urged stakeholders to respect the rule of law while teaching in schools.”

TimesLIVE