Johannesburg – Non-profit youth organisation the New loveLife Trust (loveLife) says it is concerned about the sharp rise in sexual misconduct cases among educators.
This follows the reply given by Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga in Parliament when she was asked about cases of sexual misconduct laid against educators.
The minister, citing figures received from the SA Council for Educators (SACE), said in a written parliamentary response that sexual misconduct cases had risen from 92 in 2019/20 to 169 in 2020/21 and 191 in 2021/22, a comparatively steep rise in the past three years.
loveLife said this was not only worrying, it also showed how learners frequently faced sexual abuse and threats in an environment where they were meant to be safe and protected, an environment where they spent much of their time.
Patrick Kulati, loveLife’s chief executive, said: “Swift action is needed. It cannot be merely accepted that we see such a rise in these cases and there is no action; there needs to be accountability.
“We can’t have educators taking advantage of learners, well knowing that no action will be taken and they will get away with it. The safety of children should be prioritised, particularly when they are in the same environment; they are meant to be safe.”
The organisation said that while the SACE Act had a section about the Code of Ethics and spoke about the regulations of educators’ conduct, South Africans deserved to see better implementation of this act. It should not be just another piece of legislation that perpetrators who knew no action would be taken against them failed to respect.
Kulati called on the criminal justice system to be stern when pursuing criminal cases.
“The rise in sexual misconduct indicates that more needs to be done, and our children need to know the law is on their side,” loveLife said.
The organisation also called on the Department of Basic Education to fully enforce its internal disciplinary measures, particularly as the Employment of Educators Act granted the department full rights to pursue disciplinary action against sex pest educators.
Kulati said that the laws were there and should be enforced with the priority of keeping South African children safe and ridding children’s learning spaces of sexual predators.
The Star