Durban - THE amended regulations of the Disaster Management Act 2002, state that provisions need to be made for a pupil who goes to school without a face mask or another appropriate item that covers the nose and mouth.
The regulations were signed on Sunday by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
The regulations state that the principal of a school and the owner or manager of an early childhood development (ECD) centre must take all reasonable steps to ensure the relevant authority supplies the school or ECD centre with sufficient cloth face masks, home-made items or other appropriate items that cover the nose and mouth for pupils who do not have these items.
If a pupil arrives at a school or ECD centre without a cloth face mask or one of the above substitutes, the pupil may be provided with an appropriate item that covers the nose and mouth, if possible, or if the school or ECD centre cannot do so, the pupil must be isolated and their parents, guardian or caregiver must be contacted immediately.
They must bring a cloth face mask or an appropriate substitute that covers the nose and mouth to the school or early childhood development centre or arrange for safe transport home for the pupil.
This amendment follows the incident that took place in Bulwer, in the Harry Gwala District, in which a pupil was raped on Monday, June6, when she was allegedly told to go home to fetch her face mask. The alleged rapist, 17, was arrested the next morning and was expected to appear in the Ixopo Magistrate’s Court.
The case was transferred to the Port Shepstone Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit.
Yesterday, police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said the matter was not enrolled in court. Further investigation was being conducted.