The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Education Sipho Hlomuka has announced that a suspect has been arrested for the alleged rape of students from Bizimali High School in Nkandla.
Speaking at the school on Friday, Hlomuka said the alleged perpetrator was denied bail. “We want to fight the scourge of learners being raped and we wish to assert that despite everything, the school is still performing well,” Hlomuka said.
He went on to express his gratitude to principals and teachers in the province who have to deal with such traumatic situations while continuing to provide learners with substantial and quality education.
“We are here to encourage and motivate them. We are here to say that we are happy that the culprit has been arrested and we are going to work with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to ensure that the rape suspect does not continue to be part of society.
“He must deal with his challenges, and we want all the law enforcement agencies to work together to deal with the issue.”
The high school reportedly has an extra lesson programme where learners attend classes after normal school hours. The MEC clarified that this arrangement is not unique to the school but is part of a wider initiative in KZN.
“Some educators are teaching learners during the weekends, others on the afternoon, but they must have security safety plans for our learners so that we will never again hear that a learner was raped,” he added.
He appealed to apprehensive parents of pupils in the institution to give it another chance and said that the incidents happened outside the school. “Education is a societal matter. It’s not only for those under education but the community also has a role to play in protecting schools.”
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