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- A teacher at Mowat Park High School was suspended following accusations of sexual misconduct.
- The school's SGB chairman says about 40 girls have reported incidents of sexual misconduct.
- The KwaZulu-Natal education department is aware of the allegations against the teacher.
A teacher at Mowat Park High School has been suspended following accusations of sexual misconduct from girls at the school, the school governing body (SGB) confirmed.
Several pupils came forward and reported that they had been receiving uncomfortable remarks from the teacher.
Mowat Park SGB chairman Sifiso Khumalo told News24 that about 40 girls reported incidents of sexual misconduct.
"Even though some of them were not directly affected, they were giving statements about what they heard," Khumalo added.
According to the chairperson, the educator was suspended by the SGB.
Statements
There were allegations that another staff member at the school may also be implicated, but Khumalo said they were still going through the written statements by the learners.
"From the statements and interviews that we have conducted, we have not come across a learner directly implicating the [other staff member]," he said.
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Khumalo said based on the discussions he had with the second staff member, the member had decided to step aside from his duties while the process unfolds.
The school has reported the matter to the education department.
The school will have another meeting with the department on Wednesday to receive further guidance.
KwaZulu-Natal education department spokesperson Kwazi Mthethwa said the department had been alerted to the allegations against a teacher at the school.
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"We view these allegations very seriously and there is already a process under way that we believe will reveal more details about this unfortunate situation," said Mthethwa
"We stand firm against any form of abuse, including sexual harassment," Mthethwa added.
Khumalo said the allegations will be taken seriously because it had dented the image and dignity of the school.
"If there are any former learners, who might have factual information that can assist us, I encourage them to come forward," he requested.
