Education
Question by:
Hon Basil Kivedo
Answered by:
Hon Debbie Schäfer
Question Number:
10
Question Body:
- How many cases of sexual abuse of learners by (a) school teachers and (b) school staff members have been reported to and investigated by her Department in each school district in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017;
- for each case, (a) whether the alleged perpetrator was a government-employed staff member or appointed by the school governing body (SGB), (b) whether the alleged perpetrator was found guilty; if so, what action was taken, (c) whether the case was reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS); if not; why not; if so, what are the relevant details and (d) whether her Department reported the case to the South African Council for Educators (SACE); if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Answer Body:
THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION
10. (1) See table below:
|
Sexual abuse year |
MNED Metropole North Education District |
MSED Metropole South Education District |
ECKD Eden and Central Karoo Education District |
OED Overberg Education District |
MEED Metropole East Education District |
West Coast Education District |
MCED Metropole Central Education District |
Winelands
|
||||||||
|
|
CS |
PS |
CS |
PS |
CS |
PS |
CS |
PS |
CS |
PS |
CS |
PS |
CS |
PS |
CS |
PS |
|
2016/2017 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
|
Guilty |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
Not Guilty/ Insufficient evidence |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
2017/2018 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
|
Guilty |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Not Guilty/ Insufficient evidence |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
CS = educator
PS = public servant
(2) for each case,
- All were WCED employees. The WCED does not have jurisdiction over SGB employees, and accordingly does not have information in that regard.
- Sanctions varied from a final written warning and a fine/ or suspension without remuneration to dismissal.
- In the majority of cases the parents reported the alleged sexual offences to SAPS; parents sometimes also report cases of corporal punishment and assault. The WCED is not always notified when these cases are reported and therefore has no way of tracking these. The disciplinary process runs independently from a criminal investigation.
All guilty findings are reported to SACE in terms of section 26 of the Employment of Educators Act, 76 of 1998.
Date:
Friday, November 17, 2017
