No place for abusers in classroom

There is a sordid history at predominantly black, and especially rural, schools regarding ablution facilities and other sanitation. This publication has often highlighted the plight of children in such schools, publishing that exposed the kind of dangers our children are exposed to whenever nature called.

An infamous case that continues to be a blight on the memory of a democratic SA is the case of Michael Komape, the five-year-old Limpopo pupil who drowned in a pit latrine at school in 2014.

As is their wont, politicians in and outside of power made all sorts of pledges about making pit toilets a thing of the past at schools while presenting themselves as people concerned with the welfare of the African child. But out of the glare of the limelight such probelms have been left to NGOs to sort out.

Still tales of tragedy around ablution facilities continue to be a chapter all of its own when the story of black schools is told.

A story broke last year that, if you pardon the unfortunate pun, raised a stink that the entire nation could not ignore, also linked to a black school and toilets.

The principal at a school in Eastern Cape dropped his cellphone into a pit toilet. Unfortunate. But what followed was a story that beggars belief. He sent a pupil down the pit to fish the device for him for a fee of R200. When the boy emerged, covered in faeces and a butt of jokes among other schoolchildren, our thoughtful headmaster 'rewarded' him with a R50 for effort.

The uproar saw the teacher arrested, charged and eventually slapped with what amounts to a slap on the wrist, a fine of R4,000. Lubeko Mgandela also lost his job but it was not the end of the sordid affair and news emerged yesterday that he has now  been removed from the register of educators and will never be allowed to work with children again by the SA Council of Educators. 

It is a welcome development that we hope has sent a strong message to those with power at schools not to abuse chidlren simply because they are poor. Mgandela no doubt knew of the pupils unfortunate background and had no hesitation exploiting him.

We also welcome news of litigation by the SA Human Right Commission against the department of basic education to ensure that the pupil is offered therapy throughout his schooling carreer to help him deal with the harm that he has been caused.