A Gauteng high school teacher has been fired after asking a pupil to send him nude pictures of herself and to lie to her parents so they could go to a hotel together.
The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) fired Kagiso Senior Secondary School teacher Itumeleng Jafta Selokela on Monday after he was charged with six counts of misconduct in 2021.
Selokela was placed on precautionary suspension with full pay after two pupils complained in May 2021.
In 2019, Selokela was accused of asking a pupil if "she gave her p***y" to another male, and when he would also "get it". He was also accused of asking the girl if he could book a hotel room for them.
In the same year, Selokela told another pupil that she had a nice body and asked her to send him nude pictures of herself.
He told the girl to lie to her parents and say she had extra classes so he could book a room for the two of them. He also said she would pass Grade 11 if she had sex with him.
In 2020, he grabbed the pupil and tried to kiss her.
Selokela was suspended in May 2021 and was supposed to have received the list of charges 90 days thereafter. He received it in August 2021, two days later than he should have.
At his ELRC hearing, Selokela pleaded guilty to all charges. At the sittings on 27 October 2021 and 21 January 2022, he said his suspension was unfair.
ELRC panellist Monde Boyce dismissed Selokela's assertion that his suspension was unfair.
"There were closures of schools from June 2021 to July 2021, and there was no activity at schools, and as such, the charges could not be served earlier. If there was no such challenge, the issue of the 90 days would not have arisen."
Selokela was dismissed following the hearing and will be reported to the South African Council of Educators (SACE).
In 2021, SACE reported that 11 teachers were removed from the register of practising teachers after being found guilty of either sexual misconduct or assaulting pupils.
In his ruling, Boyce was scathing of Selokela's conduct.
"The employee not only engaged in sexual assault against the learners, by grabbing and trying to kiss Learner B ... the employer further engaged in serious acts of misconduct that was of a sexual nature when he texted one of the learners and promising to make Learner B pass Grade 11 should she agree to be intimate with him."
Boyce said this conduct amounted to a serious violation of the dignity of the pupils.
SOURCE: NEWS24
