Créche teacher who took upsetting video, also arrested
The lawyer representing the principal of a créche in Carltonville says the teacher who took the videos of children being assaulted, has also been arrested.
South Africans have reacted with outrage at the video that went viral on Thursday and shows a teacher at the créche on the West Rand repeatedly slapping a toddler and forcing her to clean up her own vomit.
The video shows the woman lowering the child's pants before smacking the little girl on the buttocks.
The child can be heard crying softly as she continues to use a cloth to clean the small green plastic table in the classroom.
The teacher continues to then ask: "Why are you vomiting? Why?"
Attorney Danie Van Zyl represents the principal and says the woman who took the video is a former employee at the nursery.
He adds she was dismissed and later blackmailed the principle that she would expose these videos on social media, if she was not paid.
Van Zyl says on Thursday, they requested the police officer handling the case to arrest the person who took those videos.
"Yesterday (Thursday), we had a meeting with the control prosecutor and we requested also through the investigating officer that the women had to be arrested as well.
"That did in the meanwhile apparently transpired. I cannot say whether she appeared in court yet, but we did indeed insist that she be arrested," Van Zyl said.
Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters couldn't confirm if the women who took the video was arrested.
Meanwhile, Van Zyl has confirmed that a charge has been laid against the principal.
"I spoke to her (the principal) this morning and she indicated that it's indeed the case that there has been a charge laid against her. I'm not sure what the charges are at this point in time," said Van Zyl to Jacaranda FM News on Friday morning.
From Cape Town, Parliament has also weighed in on the issue, saying once the people involved in this case have been convicted, they should be placed on the National Child Protection Register to prevent them from ever be allowed to work with children again.
Chairperson of the committee, Zoleka Capa, says the Register contains a record of all the reports of abuse and deliberate neglect of the child.
"The committee calls on government to work with law enforcement agencies to monitor all facilities that take care of children to ensure that this kind of abuse does not happen at these facilities and that child protection is prioritised, " Capa said.