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IOL News
03-07-2025
- IOL News
Pressure mounts for Principal charges in Harvester Primary School teacher scandal
A Harvester Primary School teacher faces charges of sexual grooming and exposing a learner to explicit material. Image: Kim Swartz/Independent Newspapers As parents for Equal Education question whether the Harvester Primary School principal will be among more people charged in the case of the teacher accused of sending explicit videos to a Grade 7 learner, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said all protocol has been followed. The former Grade R teacher, who resigned when the scandal broke, is expected to make her next appearance in the Mitchell's Plain Magistrate's Court on Thursday for her formal bail application. She faces charges of sexual grooming of a child and exposing a child to explicit material Vanessa le Roux, from Parents For Equal Education, said they questioned why the principal did not face charges. 'Why is the principal not arrested yet? 'The DPP (Directorate of Public Prosecution) initiated the charges after obtaining statements from the mother, grandmother, and principal. 'The DPP initiated charges against the principal, and the charge is defeating the ends of justice. "While on the phone with the investigating officer (last Thursday) morning, he explained to me that they are still waiting for the docket to come back from the prosecutor. 'This also exposes the lies of the WCED, when they say the principal did what she was supposed to do. 'The only duty on her was reporting the matter to SAPS and the WCED. "She is not a police woman, what business did she have getting into her car, and demanding the victim's cellphone. 'We are not playing about the lives of our children anymore, no one is above the law, even if I have to elevate that question to a national level.' But Bronagh Hammond, spokesperson for the WCED, said protocol was followed. 'We are aware of the allegations made by Ms Le Roux, which the principal denies and the police are investigating,' she said. 'An affidavit detailing the exact timelines and the processes followed has been sent to the South African Police. 'Sadly, there have been many false facts communicated by various parties in this case. We therefore wait on SAPS to complete their processes before jumping to any conclusions or making potentially libelous statements in public. 'We cannot comment further at this point.' The Department of Justice said it was for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to comment on while the NPA said it was a police matter. Earlier, the investigating officer took the witness stand during the bail application where he informed the court of how the teacher allegedly instigated conversations on TikTok with the 13-year-old learner. It was also further revealed that prior to allegedly sending the learner an explicit video of herself, she requested him to send a video of himself. He sent one in return of himself and his younger brother playing video games. The detective also testified that when the accused realised that she had sent the video and could lose her job, she asked the boy to delete it and that he asked her for a R500 for it to be erased. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
IOL News
24-06-2025
- IOL News
Mitchells Plain teacher accused of sexual grooming seeks bail
WAITING BAIL The Grade R teacher said she intends to plead not guilty. Image: Kim Swartz A former Grade R teacher at Harvester Primary School returned to court on Monday, where it was heard that she could be released on bail as there isn't a likelihood that she would undermine the criminal justice system. The teacher, who cannot be named until she has pleaded, proceeded with her bail application in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court, where she faces charges of sexual grooming of a child and exposing a child to explicit material. The court heard testimony from the investigating officer in the matter, Warrant Officer Roland Peters, who told the court that the 35-year-old accused had allegedly instigated conversations on TikTok with the 13-year-old Grade 7 learner. Peters said: 'The contents of the messages on TikTok where the accused instigated contact with the complainant asking if the boy is the same person at school, and the boy said yes. The accused requested that the boy call her by her first name after he referred to her as ma'am because it makes her feel old. The messages said 'don't f**king call me ma'am call me [by my name]'. The accused indicated that she is not a strict teacher and said on the chat he can relax with her. The conversation then switched over to WhatsApp.' This follows after the victim asked the teacher for her number because he allegedly has a good relationship with many teachers and wanted to grow his contact list. The detective said the boy confirmed that he received an explicit video of the teacher wearing provocative clothing exposing her breasts and her face can be seen clearly. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The court heard that prior to her sending the video she requested that the boy send her a video and he sent a video of him and his younger brother playing video games. Peters also said the accused realised that after she sent the video that she could lose her job and asked the minor to delete it, however, he asked her for R500 for it to be erased. He then later dropped the payment as she said "her life is already over". The State said they are opposing her bail as the accused was in a possession of authority entrusted to care for minors, as well as public outrage surrounding the case, and strong media following. However, the accused's legal representative argued that she gave her full cooperation during her arrest, handed her cellphone in for investigation, is not a flight risk, that she would not commit the offence again and is a first time offender. The magistrate said that given that she would not undermine the proper functioning of the criminal justice system, she questioned why she should remain in custody.
IOL News
17-06-2025
- IOL News
Teacher accused of sharing pornographic images with Grade 7 learner remains in custody
The Grade R teacher made her first appearance in the Mitchells Plan Magistrate's Court, Image: Kim Swartz The Mitchells Plain Grade R teacher accused of sexual grooming of a schoolboy apparently called him to her class at school. This was heard at a tense Mitchells Plain Magistrates Court last Friday, as the 35-year-old teacher made her first appearance for sexual grooming of a child and exposing a child to explicit material. In a shocking case that has rocked the community, the former teacher at Harvester Primary School in Westridge is accused of initiating conversations of a sexual nature with a 13-year-old Grade 7 learner. The State revealed that the alleged misconduct began on the evening of May 25. Reports indicate that the teacher reached out to the minor via WhatsApp, sparking a conversation that quickly started spiralling out of control. In a disturbing twist, the State claims the teacher sent a graphic video of herself to the young boy and then invited the Grade 7 learner to her classroom the very next day. The gravity of these charges has led to the court proceedings being postponed to June 23, where the state will present more evidence and seek confirmation from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) regarding the prima facie evidence against her. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Meanwhile, the accused remains behind bars, with the state set to oppose her bail application, citing the severity of the offences, which are classified as a Schedule 6 offence. Reports suggest that the principal had demanded the minor's phone be handed over on June 7, which led to the discovery of the explicit images and videos allegedly sent by the teacher. Outside the court, a group of angry parents from the school gathered to voice their outrage. They are set to hand in a petition demanding accountability, united in their stance against the teacher's release at the next hearing. One mother, who wished to remain anonymous, demanded that justice be served, stating: 'It's a reminder that our legal system works hard to protect the rights of individuals and uphold fairness for our communities and our children.' Mothers at Harvester Primary School handed in a petition to oppose the accused's bail bid. Image: Supplied
IOL News
13-06-2025
- IOL News
Grade R teacher arrested for allegedly sending explicit images to learner
Angry parents protested outside Harvester Primary School. Image: Kim Swartz A 35-year-old Grade R teacher at Harvester Primary School in Westridge, Mitchell's Plain, resigned and has been arrested after she allegedly sent a Grade 7 learner text messages and videos of a sexual nature. Angry parents protested outside the school on Thursday, demanding answers after the shocking reports came to light this week. According to reports, the principal requested the minor's phone be handed in on June 7, which revealed that the teacher allegedly sent the Grade 7 learner explicit nude images and videos. Zayaan Abrahams, who has two children at the school, said the reason she and other parents protested was due to them waiting on answers from the school's principal. "We are here because a Grade R teacher has sent porn videos, we would say porn videos because she is advertising her breast to a Grade 7 learner and we want to know what is being done," Abrahams said. Parents and residents were outside the school from 8am to 11am without getting answers and said they intended to bring a petition to demand the school's principal and deputy step down. Loreza Allies, whose child is in the same class as the teacher, said parents were informed of the incident on June 10, however, the matter became known to the school last week. Allies added: 'We want answers from the school. Why did none of them phone us or call the Grade R parents to sort it out?" Zayaan Abrahams a parent wants answers on the learners safety. Image: Kim Swartz After the parents left at around 11am, news broke of the teacher's arrest and the School Governing Board (SGB) issued a statement that they are aware of the allegations of sexual abuse/grooming against the minor. The SGB said: 'The SGB and Western Cape Education Department (WCED) adopt a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of abuse. The educator was in the employ of the SGB and not the WCED and has resigned with immediate effect. The matter will be referred to the South African Council of Educators (SACE) for further handling. A criminal charge has been laid, and due process will follow.' Police spokesperson, FC van Wyk, said Lentegeur police opened a sexual harassment case which was transferred to the Mitchell's Plain Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit for investigation. 'A 35-year-old suspect was arrested at a premises in Athlone on June 12 at 11am. 'She was provisionally charged in terms of the Sexual Offences Act, causing a child to be exposed to pornography. 'The suspect is currently being processed where after she will appear in the Mitchell's Plain Magistrate's Court,' said Van Wyk. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
