An 11-year-old child, who was raped twice, is allegedly victimised repeatedly by her teachers and principal.
Her mother wants the teachers at the Dr. I.M Monare Primary School in Mamelodi, East of Pretoria, to be punished for allegedly stripping the child’s dignity.
She wants the Education department to fire all the implicated teachers.
The Grade 5 pupil has been moved to another school.
The mother says the child was raped the first time when she was only 7 years old and the second time in April.
She says teachers are calling the child names. “The one teacher has made of habit of throwing cold water in her face and others called her names saying she’s a woman.”
The frustrated parent claims that her child’s nightmare worsened when teachers started victimising her and allegedly instructing other pupils not to play with her child. This apparently sparked the beginning of abuse over 5 years.
She called for action against the principal and teachers at the school.
“I want justice. I think if they can be removed, not necessarily from where my child is … if they can be removed from this Department of Education … if they can be removed from these vulnerable children, it would be helpful. They might just do the same to other children.”
The Education department has opened an official probe into the conduct of the implicated teachers and has removed the child from the school.
Department’s Steve Mabona says officials will conduct the investigation.
“We are giving our officials to conduct that investigation and at a later stage, we will be able to give a report on what transpired and what is it that we have. Our investigation will have to go into detail and interact and check the veracity of those allegations at the school.”
The mother says that her child has changed. “My child has changed. She’s angry and doesn’t behave like a happy child anymore.”
The disheartened parent has threatened legal action if decisive action is not taken against the implicated teachers.
