BRONKHORSTSPRUIT – A 53-year-old deputy principal appeared in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrates’ Court on this week facing three counts of rape for allegedly sexually assaulting an eight year old learner at Bronkhorstspruit Primary School.
The deputy principal is accused of raping the child on three separate occasions between June 2024 and August 2025 on school premises during school hours. The alleged abuse came to light when the child’s mother noticed the youngster was walking strangely and, upon questioning, the child disclosed what had happened.
The mother immediately reported the matter to police, leading to the educator’s arrest on 1 September. The case has been postponed to 11 September for a bail application, which the state intends to oppose, the National Prosecuting Authority said in a statement.
Action demanded on vetting failures
The incident prompted a fierce response from DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education Sergio Isa Dos Santos, who accused the provincial education department of failing to protect learners through inadequate staff screening processes.
“Gauteng learners remain at risk due to the shocking failure to vet teachers and staff in our schools,” Dos Santos said in a statement released Tuesday. “The Democratic Alliance demands that the Gauteng Department of Education MEC Matome Chiloane stop paying lip service to learner safety and urgently address the poor screening of teachers and staff.”
The Bronkhorstspruit case is one of two recent sexual misconduct scandals to rock Gauteng schools, with similar allegations at Princehof School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Dos Santos criticised what he termed the GDE’s “failure to implement a thorough vetting process” that has “compromised learner safety and created a dangerous environment that is both traumatic and hindering to the learning process.”
Particularly concerning, according to the DA, is the claim that in at least one case, a school was informed of an incident as early as 2024 but failed to take action.
“This failure to act not only shows gaps in safeguarding learners but also undermines trust between parents, learners, and school leadership,” the statement read.
Calls for immediate suspension
The DA has repeatedly raised concerns about the department’s inability to adequately vet educators against both the Child Protection Register and the National Register for Sex Offenders.
“Our concerns have clearly been ignored, and this has allowed potential offenders to slip through the cracks of a flawed vetting process,” Dos Santos said.
He called for the immediate suspension of implicated educators and demanded that MEC Chiloane ensure proper legal processes are followed.
“There can be no tolerance for delays or cover-ups when the well-being of children is at stake,” he emphasized.
The DA announced it will table questions to the MEC to determine what steps, if any, have been taken by the GDE to strengthen vetting procedures.
“Transparency is essential if the public is to have any confidence in the department’s ability to protect learners,” Dos Santos stated.
The opposition party pledged to continue holding the GDE accountable, saying a DA-led provincial government would prioritize proper vetting in schools and ensure swift, fair, and transparent investigations of sexual misconduct allegations.
The Gauteng Department of Education had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
