18-year-old remains in cuffs for alleged sexual assault at FS school
The eldest of the four Tlotlanang Combined School male pupils accused of sexually assaulting a fellow schoolmate at the Thaba’ Nchu school’s premises, remains in cuffs, for now.
This as his co-accused - boys between 14 and 15-years-old - were released into their parents’ custody following the group’s first appearance before the Thaba’ Nchu Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Free State (FS) police spokesperson, Thandi Mbambo says the 18-year-old will only apply for bail on Tuesday.
The boys’ arrests come after they allegedly accosted one of the girls at the school during lunch break last Wednesday and sexually violated her.
Free State Education Department’s Howard Ndaba is yet to comment on allegations that the school had turned a blind eye to such cases previously.
On the day of the assault, the young girl was fetching her snacks from a classroom when the boys allegedly closed the door and the four of them forcibly began touching her inappropriately.
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The assault came to an end after a fifth boy, who was present, pushed the boys away and thus created an opportunity for the teenage girl to run.
The 15-year-old girl reported the matter to her father, who in turn went to the school to notify them.
A case was opened against the boys six days later.
This comes after another case in the Free State where pupils at the St Michael’s School for Girls in Bloemfontein protested at the school’s grounds in April 2021 due to what they deemed to be unaddressed sexual misconduct at the school’s hostel.
Ndaba confirmed that a grade 12 pupil has been identified as the alleged perpetrator in the sexual misconduct, which occurred in late 2020.