South African MPs condemn teacher over social media 'sex tape with pupil'

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A 45-year-old teacher has been suspended at a rural high school in South Africa after a video allegedly showing him having sex with one of his pupils went viral on social media.

Since the video emerged, six pupils have come forward at the Ekucabangeni High School in northern KwaZulu-Natal province to claim they were sexually abused by the art teacher, who has not been named.

According to South Africa’s The Times, the girls who came forward were all aged between 14 and 15. Initial reports described the girl in the viral social media video as in Grade 11, the penultimate year in the South African high school system.

Regional education minister Mthandeni Dlungwana said he had filed a case of statutory rape against the teacher in question, as well as launching an internal investigation, describing the alleged incident as “a crime we cannot forgive”.

And the scandal has now reached the national stage in South Africa, with a parliamentary committee on education describing the case as “unacceptable”.

In South Africa, the legal age of consent is 16 - but it is also illegal under the Schools Act for a teacher to have sex with a pupil in their care, regardless of their respective ages.

Nomalungelo Gina, a People’s Assembly member and the committee chairwoman, said on Monday: “This is unacceptable. Teachers are in a position of trust and power. They should not be abusing this power by engaging in sexual acts with learners who are vulnerable.”

The ANC Women's League said initial reports appeared to suggest the abuse had been going on since 2012, claiming the teacher would lure girls to his cottage on the school campus and abuse them.

According to The Times, pupils reacted to the emergence of the video by burning down the cottage, where it was alleged to have been filmed.

In a statement, the ANCWL’s secretary-general Meokgo Matuba told the eNCA news service: “Schools are centres of development for positive citizenry, self-improvement and occupational preparation. Anyone who turns them into centres for sexual exploitation of learners must be barred for the rest of his/her life from school yards.”