School boys suspended for alleged rape

The boys, aged between 7 and 10, allegedly raped two 7-year old girls during school hours on Monday.

 

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has taken action after receiving information about the incident on Wednesday afternoon.

 

Lesufi’s spokesperson Phumla Sekhonyane says the school’s governing body will convene an urgent disciplinary process, while the two victims receive counselling.

 

“The boys have been suspended for five days while the school’s governing body convenes an urgent disciplinary process. The two victims are currently at home and are receiving counselling,” she said.

 

Sekhonyane said the department and parents are in discussion about possibly moving the learners to alternative schools.

 

“We are discussing taking the learners to different schools since we cannot have both perpetrators and victims in the same school,” she said.

 

The Education District Office will investigate how the incident could have happened and why the children were not supervised when the incident took place.

 

Sekhonyane said teachers have been given letters to explain themselves and whether the department’s safety regulations were adhered to.

 

Psychologists and school workers have been sent to the school to offer counselling to other learners.

 

(Edited by Suné Du Toit)

File photo: Gallo Images

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