WARNING: THE STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC DETAILS THAT MAY UPSET READERS
Gauteng Basic Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has confirmed the suspension of five general workers at Khensani Primary School in Soshanguve north of Pretoria with immediate effect. This is after a six-year-old grade one learner was raped in the school toilet last week.
Lesufi visited the school on Thursday afternoon for a brief meeting with the school management. He will also meet with the victim’s parents.
Lesufi says they’re leaving everything to the police.
“The report only came on Wednesday. So there’s one aspect that I want to satisfy myself with. It is within that context that when I leave here I’m going to meet with the parents of the child. So that we can get that aspect cleared. I have requested the police to with speed. They’ve indicated that they’re at the stage where they want to conduct what we call identity parade.”
Meanwhile, the victim’s family says the school was at first not cooperative when informed about the incident. This was a day after the incident had occurred when the distraught child’s mother visited the school.
It is alleged that the child was relieving herself in the toilet during school hours when a man believed to be a general worker allegedly raped her.
The child’s mother who cannot be named as the victim is a minor, says the child is too traumatized to go back to school and she’s afraid to face the alleged.
The child is receiving counselling from the department’s team of social workers.
Security concerns
The Progressive Students’ Movement has called on the Gauteng government to improve security at schools. The students’ movement’s Kabelo Nthekiso explains:
“What we call for as an organisation is the Gauteng Department of Basic Education to prioritise security at our schools, not only Khensani Primary School, most of the schools don’t have security and this put the lives of learners and educators at risk and vulnerable to perpetrators and hooliganism.”
