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Officials ‘disturbed’ at case of two boys accused of raping Grade 2 girl

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Two boys at a primary school in Gauteng face expulsion following allegations of raping a Grade 2 pupil in the boys’ toilets.

Gauteng education acting spokesperson Oupa Bodibe said on Friday last week the school made a recommendation to the head of department, Edward Mosuwe, that the boys be expelled.

Initially, four pupils were implicated but two were cleared during a disciplinary hearing.

The alleged rape incident happened in March at a Randburg school.

Bodibe said the department was deeply concerned and disturbed about the rape incident.

“It was alleged that four Grade 7 boys raped a Grade 2 learner at the boys’ toilets. The learner did not report the matter immediately; however, she complained to her parents of having pains on her private parts, and was subsequently taken to the doctor for the necessary examination. It was then confirmed that she had been penetrated.”

He said parents informed the school about the developments, which took place during school holidays.

The school informed school governing body members.

“The alleged perpetrators were taken through a disciplinary process on May 11, which exonerated two of the four boys. The recommendation was that the learners must be expelled from the school. On May 12, the school submitted the recommendations to the head of department for his consideration,” Bodibe said.

The parents of the victim reported the matter to police, and the two boys appeared before the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on May 8.

The second appearance was yesterday.

He said all affected pupils were referred to the Teddy Bear Clinic for psychological support.

“The department condemns any acts of sexual misconduct in schools and encourages learners never to listen to anybody who tells them not to tell, for fear of victimisation. Learners must report such incidents to their parents, police or any other trusted figure of authority. We urge learners to abide by the school code of conduct at all times and refrain from acts of misconduct,” Bodibe said.

“The department has a zero-tolerance stance on allegations of sexual assault and has never hesitated to act where allegations of this nature have been proven to be true. We also appeal to parents to assist the department to enforce discipline in and outside the school environment.”


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