One teacher let his principles down and slept with a learner who approached him for sex, and another took advantage of a naïve pupil.
These are the tales of two Gauteng high school teachers, one from Krugersorp and another from Soweto, who were fired this week for sexual misconduct.
Ndifhedzo Manenzhe, who taught accounting at Thuto Pele Secondary School in Krugersdorp until given his marching orders, faced the music for having sex with a Grade 11 learner identified as KM last year.
“It was KM’s evidence that she was the one who made advances for a relationship with Manenzhe,” Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) arbitrator Themba Manganyi pointed out in his ruling delivered this week.
“At first, Manenzhe acted in a manner that was expected of a model educator. He rejected KM’s advances and he even threatened KM that he will report her should she persist with her advances.
“However, Manenzhe did not report KM to anyone for reasons only known to him,” he said.
Manganyi found that Manenzhe saw an opportunity to take advantage of the learner. “KM testified that Manenzhe later told her that he wanted to break her virginity,” he said.
“This version was not challenged when KM was cross examined. I must indicate herein now that Manenzhe was informed that if a version is not challenged, I will consider that to be the gospel truth.
“Thus, I consider KM’s version as the gospel truth. Consequently, I find that Manenzhe eventually succeeded to have his way with KM and broke her virginity when they had their first sexual encounter on May 8, 2021 at his place of residence in Toekomsrus,” Manganyi added.
In Soweto, R Rasekhula started dating a Grade 11 Letsibogo Girls Secondary School learner last year after he saved her contact numbers in his phone.
Identified as Miss P, the child testified that she started having conversations of a sexual nature with Rasekhula via texting.
She deposed texts in which the maths literacy, Sepedi and technology teacher told her what sex positions he would like them to try. He sent her a picture of his private parts on November 17, 2021.
The first time they had sex, Rasekhula requested Bolt to take Miss P to a guest house.
The learner testified that she decided to report the relationship to her aunt because she feared she would get pregnant.
Rasekhula initially pleaded not guilty to the charge, but changed his plea to guilty after Miss P had given her evidence-in-chief.
“I find the employee to have taken advantage of Miss P’s naivety and abused his position as a teacher,” arbitrator Monde Boyce said in his ruling.
“This finding is not misplaced, but is informed by what Miss P raised in her evidence-in-chief and during cross examination when she stated that she did not have a crush on the employee, but that she liked him because of the way he taught the maths literacy subject.
“But she had another reason for succumbing to the advances by the employee. She stated, during her evidence-in-chief and during cross examination, that she feared that if she did not give the employee her contact number, the employee would drop her marks or fail her,” Boyce said.
“Also, if one has regard to the text messages exchange between the employee and Miss P, no other conclusion can be reached except that the employee was sexually grooming Miss P. This, in my considered view, aggravates the conduct,” Boyce said.
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