Teacher appears on rape charge

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Published May 29, 2016

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Cape Town - One of the country’s most prestigious private girls’ schools is dealing with allegations that a teacher raped a pupil – one of two sex assault scandals to rock high schools in the Western Cape this week.

The 52-year-old teacher was arrested on Thursday and appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Friday for the alleged rape and other incidents dating back to 2014.

In the second matter to rattle a high school, a pupil from Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a parent and three other pupils outside a primary school in the town.

The matter involving the girls’ school in the southern suburbs first surfaced on Wednesday.

As the teacher has not yet pleaded to charges

Weekend Argus has not named the school as that may point to his identity.

On Saturday a school council member said pupils would on Monday be reminded there were extensive counselling services available to them. “The school is deeply concerned,” she said.

She cautioned “innocent until proven guilty” needed to be kept in mind, especially when discussing the matter on social media.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut said a rape had been reported to Claremont police on Wednesday.

He said the latest alleged incident had occurred on May 19, but other incidents dated back to January 20, 2014.

The teacher was arrested and was released from custody on bail after his court appearance on Friday.

He is expected back in court next month.

In the Paul Roos Gymnasium incident, Traut said a 15-year-old boy was arrested on Wednesday at 4pm “on a charge of sexual assault after a parent and three learners were sexually assaulted outside a primary school”.

“He was released in the care of his parents on the same day,” Traut said.

“The case is still under investigation.”

A statement about the incident was posted on the Paul Roos Gymnasium website.

It said a pupil had acted aggressively, unnaturally and uncontrollably, behaviour which was probably the result of using an “undesirable substance” his body could not cope with.

“We have informed all our boys about the incident,” the statement said.

“What happened… can happen to anyone, and we must use this incident once again to caution, to guide and to educate our boys.”

The statement said there was a growing concern that society appeared to be more tolerant towards the use of certain drugs.

“The fight against drugs or illegal substances is not a fight to protect the school’s reputation, but a fight to protect the school’s value system, and the well-being of our boys.”

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Weekend Argus

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