The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) says it will no longer defend teachers accused of having sexual relations with their pupils.
Announcing the My Children, My Learner, My Future, My Life Campaign, which launches next month, Sadtu KZN head Mbuyiseni Mathonsi said the campaign was aimed at rooting out the growing trend of teacher-pupil relations.
“There aren’t a lot of these cases, but it’s becoming a growing trend. We are taking a zero-tolerance stance on the matter, and we should be seen to be taking it. We want to deal with this ill of teachers who can’t keep their zips closed,” he said.
Mathonsi said that Sadtu was losing lots of money hiring lawyers to defend members accused of sleeping with pupils.
“It diminishes our reputation as a union if we represent a teacher and he loses. It’s true that female teachers also have unsavoury relations with their pupils, but we are targeting males because I don’t remember Sadtu KZN ever representing a female teacher in such a case.”
Mathonsi said that, in future cases where teachers were accused of sleeping with pupils, Sadtu would ask the Education Department for five days to investigate the matters. “Should we find the teacher guilty, we will remove (expel) him from Sadtu and have no further obligation to him,” he said.
The campaign would also involve road shows and the distribution of pamphlets with information on the union’s stance on the matter and what steps it would take when dealing with teachers accused of having relationships with pupils.
SA Council of Educators CEO Rej Brijraj said the council welcomed any campaign which sought to instil the correct values. - The Mercury