Eastern Cape Education MEC Fundile Gade has condemned reports that the principal of the Lututu Senior Secondary School in Ugie has apologised to the family of the young boy that was allegedly coerced to find his cellphone in the school’s pit toilet.
Gade says the Department of Justice and the Human Rights Commission of South Africa should be at the forefront to ensure justice is served.
A delegation from the Education Department visited the family of the young boy in Ugie.
Pupil made to retrieve phone from pit toilet:
The boy’s grandmother is traumatized and struggling to accept what she is being told actually happened.
“I am very heartbroken, and what worries me the most is that I compromised a lot for this child. His mother died in a tragic train accident and I took the child. Now, people in this village say I am useless. I am not looking after this child. I was shocked and they kept on asking a number of things and I told them that I do not know a lot of things, but they continue to say I am useless.”
Family accepts apology
School Governing Body Chairperson, Albert Mpukane, has confirmed that the principal apologised and that it was accepted by the family.
“We accompanied the principal to ask an apology from the grandmother. Then grandmother said she has absolutely no problem with what happened because her grandson seems to be happy and there is even no need for the principal to ask for an apology. The granny said she is grateful that the young boy is at school and he is progressing well at school.”
MEC Gade says it’s so unfortunate that the principal and his management could try and manipulate the grandmother on a very serious matter.
He believes the Human Rights Commission of South Africa will have to play a leading role to ensure justice is served.
“I am not comfortable with the arrangement that begins to suggest that the family is in the agreement or the principal has apologised to the family. This is not a matter that you can apologise for and the matter is closed. The Department of Justice must close the matter and the Human Rights Commission must get into the space and the government must clearly define what should be the approach of government in such cases.”
Uproar over cell phone incident involving a pupil and school principal:
‘Incident cruel and inhumane’
Provincial Secretary of the teachers’ union, Sadtu, Chris Mdingi, says the incident, if true, was cruel and inhumane.
“We are really short of words to explain how we feel. All we can say is that should be condemned in the strongest terms it deserves. We are appealing to the department to do what I’m supposed to do because the authorities that be are the ones that are supposed to define the way forward in terms of what needs to be done pertaining to the conduct of that principal.”
Pit toilets in Eastern Cape schools
Gade also touched on the issue of pit toilets at schools in the Eastern Cape.
He says the process of eradicating pit toilets has a long way to go. Part of the problem is related to the introduction of flushing toilets in rural areas.
“The flushing one. I do not think we are ready for them in the rural areas in the country, because there is no connectivity of water bulk system from municipalities to villages and from villages to schools. So, there is a gap there that needed to be closed by the concerned because we will forever be trapped in this kind of a question unless that gap is being closed.”
The department says it will do everything to ensure that justice is done to deter other teachers from violating the rights of children.
Audio: Eastern Cape principal suspended for coercing pupil to collect phone in pit toilet:
