Teachers sleeping with pupils continues unabated despite code of ethics in place

A deputy principal at Kgagatlou Secondary School in Ga-Mphahlele in Limpopo was assaulted by community members in an act of mob justice after he was allegedly caught in bed with a pupil.

A video of the unnamed teacher being held captive and naked by an enraged community was posted on social media on Tuesday.

The department of basic education in Limpopo on Tuesday said it is aware of the situation at hand and was investigating the matter to establish the facts:

It is reported by The Citizen that media liaison officer of the department Mike Maringa said that while he could not confirm the age of the pupil, the act did not take place on the school premises – the man and the pupil reportedly “went away for the weekend”.

Speaking to City Press on Thursday, CEO of the SA Council of Educators (Sace) Ella Mokgalane says the council will work with the department as it is still conducting its internal investigations.

 “The deputy principal’s matter is under investigation. The outcome of the case will determine the enforceable sanction in this regard. Sace continues to empower teachers through workshops and webinars on the code of professional ethics,” says Mokgalane.

Legal implications

Mokgalane says such incidents have occurred before, despite the council’s efforts of empowering teachers on the code [of ethics] and cautioning them of the repercussions of the breach of the code.

Cases of teachers sexually assaulting pupils in South Africa are rampant.

According to Sace's code of professional ethics, teachers are prohibited from having any sexual relationship with pupils. The department of basic education’s Employment of Educators Act also prohibits the said behaviour.

Just last week, during the quarterly report on the crime statistics, Police Minister Bheki Cele said they remain extremely concerned about rape incidences that occur at educational premises. 

“In the three months of reporting (October to November), 83 rapes occurred at educational facilities, including basic education schools and tertiary institutions,” said Cele. 

According to Sace, this incident is considered sexual misconduct and is punishable either by firing or striking that teacher off the register of teachers, which means that they can no longer practice as teachers in the country.

In 2021, Sace, during a Parliamentary portfolio committee meeting, while presenting its sexual gender-based violence report into the teaching profession, revealed that some of the teachers used their authority to coerce the pupils into having sex with them for marks or for the pupil to progress to the next grade.

It also indicated that some of the cases were dealt with culturally, where a teacher was asked to pay damages by the parents of the pupil. Because of poverty, some parents also accepted payment. The council said parents were “selling the souls of their children”.

The report also added that some perpetrators paid bribes to protect the image and status of the school. The council mentioned this was prevalent in independent schools and public schools with high matric pass rates.