Cape Town – Four provincial Education Department employees found guilty of sexual offences got off with slaps on their wrists, receiving written warnings or fines.
They are some of the 12 staff members across the Western Cape, including teachers and caretakers, to have been charged for sexual offences between April last year and March this year.
Of those charged, five were found guilty and dismissed; four were found guilty and received sanctions of final written warnings or fines; one resigned after being charged and two were found not guilty.
Department spokesperson Millicent Merton said 982 cases were lodged for various transgressions during the same period and 593 employees were formally charged.
A total of 443 cases were either dropped due to a lack of evidence, or were referred to supervisors to issue warnings.
When it came to those charged for sexual offences, most were teachers and some were school caretakers and foremen.
“The department consistently requests dismissals for these type of offences,” Merton said.
SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) provincial secretary Jonavon Rustin said because the circumstances of the employees who were sanctioned are not known, it was difficult to comment or scrutinise.
“Sadtu never condones acts of sexual violence against pupils by teachers. We have an internal campaign against such acts” Rustin said.
According to the most recent South African Council of Educators annual report, the Western Cape received the most complaints against teachers between April 2015 and March 2016, at 286.
Pupils who want to report sexual abuse can call the department’s Safe Schools call centre at 0800 45 46 47.