Western Cape primary probed for abuse claims, racism and sexual bullying amongst learners

Corporal punishment, sexual bullying of boys by older girls and racism are some of the allegations that have been reported to Western Cape education authorities by parents of learners at a primary school.

A grievance was lodged by a concerned parent, whose name is known to Daily Maverick but is withheld to protect the identity of his child, on behalf of other parents to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) earlier this year relating to the abuse of learners at Kronendal Primary in Hout Bay.

The claims were initially brought to the attention of the department in August but officials requested parents to put them in writing.

Kronendal headmaster Nathan Levendal declined to comment on the matter and referred questions to the WCED.

School principal Nathan Levendal. (Photo: Kronendal Primary / Wikipedia)

WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the department is very aware of the allegations and has acted upon them.

Hammond said they engaged with the complainant and requested that a meeting be held with the aggrieved parents.

“One parent was present and their concerns were addressed,” Hammond said.

Kronendal Primary in in Hout Bay, Western Cape. (Photo: Kronendal Primary / Wikipedia)

A second group of parents, Hammond said, met with the WCED investigative team but these parents had distanced themselves from the complainant and the claims made in the grievance.

She said many of the allegations raised by the complainant were “without substance or evidence”.

Hammond said the school has, however, been advised to revise its Code of Conduct regarding search and seizures.

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The WCED, Hammond said, has tried to engage with the complainant on several occasions, but unfortunately the outcome of the investigation has not satisfied the parent.

“We will continue to engage with any aggrieved parent that comes forward,” Hammond said.

Daily Maverick understands that the grievances were brought to the attention of Levendal and that the complainant was asked to put the grievances in writing and encourage other parents to report to him and the school directly.

However, the complainant referred the matter to WCED.

But, the complainant has claimed that there has not been an official response from WCED about the outcome of the grievance.

Grievance

According to the undated grievance seen by Daily Maverick, a mother of a Grade 3 learner complained that her son was sexually bullied by girls in the bathroom at the school.

The mother claimed that her son was forcibly taken into a bathroom by two older girls who told him they wanted him to have sex with the nine-year-old, and tried to stop him when he ran away.

“This was reported to the headmaster [Levendal] and the girls were reprimanded. But there was no real investigation into the underlying circumstances behind this and no attempt to educate learners about these issues,” the grievance reads.

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Another parent allegedly reported a similar incident involving different girls.

Other allegations include:

• Corporal punishment. The allegation was that learners were not allowed to go to the bathroom when needed. “If they eventually get permission, they have to turn out their pockets (to prevent graffiti in bathroom) and have to be accompanied by a classmate,” the grievance reads.


• Violation of children’s rights. The grievance stated that a female teacher is known for allegedly spreading legs and arms of Grade 4, 6 and 7 boys and patting them down to see if they had markers after a bathroom graffiti incident.)


• That a senior phase teacher was accused of being racist and using demeaning behaviour towards a parent and racism was rife in her classroom.


• Withholding of exam reports of learners for unpaid school fees. The grievance stated that owing learners were sent home with letters of demand. “This has allegedly been going on for years until a parent confronted the school on behalf of other parents,” the grievance reads.


• Teachers humiliating learners in class. The grievance stated that there were reports from learners to their parents that if a child did not understand something in class, they were made to stand up and say things like “I am a doos” or “I am the stupidest person in the world”.


• That a teacher was giving an inadequate explanation of a subject in class, leaving the parents needing to supplement the teaching at home. “This same teacher punishes learners by putting them out of the classroom, forcing them to stay outside for the remainder of the lesson. There have also been reports that the teacher is often distracted and spends a lot of time on his cell phone in class,” the grievance reads.


• That another senior phase teacher humiliated learners in front of parents and other learners when she was on duty at the gate at the end of the day. “It is understood that teachers have a responsibility to see that learners wear the correct uniform, but while other teachers point out issues politely, she does so aggressively and with the intention of humiliating the learners, especially the girls.” DM

The school governing body responds:



This article was updated on 14 May 2024 to include a response by the school governing body.