Teacher suspended over sex with Grade 6 pupil

THE teacher from Roman Catholic-run Embakwe High School who is facing allegations of bedding his wife's Grade 6 niece has been suspended for three months pending investigations.

His counterpart also from the Roman Catholic-run Empandeni High, Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu, who impregnated a Lower Sixth pupil at the school, is waiting for a verdict from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.

Matabeleland South Provincial Education Director, Tumisang Thabela, confirmed that a hearing for the teachers had been held.

"The two teachers have appeared for disciplinary hearing and we're still waiting for a feedback from the head office in Harare. Our office was responsible for carrying out the investigations and compiling a report which we sent to the head office as they're responsible for coming up with the verdict," she said.

Nhlanhla Nyoni, the Embakwe High School teacher, was due for a disciplinary hearing recently but it failed to kick off as he appealed for legal representation.

He is due for another disciplinary hearing early next month.

Nyoni would allegedly take advantage of his wife's absence to sleep with her Grade 6 niece who was staying with them while learning at Embakwe Primary School.

Nyoni is reported to have proposed love to the minor who "consented" to having sex with him during her aunt's absence.

The girl is reported to have posted several pictures of herself undressed to her uncle during the time of their "love affair".

Nyoni was exposed after the girl ran away from home to another teacher's home one night and reported the matter while Ndlovu was exposed after the girl's school mates told school officials about the secret love affair.

A source close to the investigations, who cannot be named for professional reasons, said: "Ndlovu had denied having impregnated the girl during the disciplinary hearing despite overwhelming evidence which was presented."

The source said the 17-year-old girl testified that she and the teacher were sexually active resulting in her falling pregnant while her peers testified that their friend was in a relationship with the teacher.

The girl who was supposed to write her final A-Level examinations this year dropped out of the school because of the pregnancy.

According to the source, the girl explained during the hearing that Ndlovu sent her to his rural home in order to conceal the pregnancy.

"The girl, who was staying at the school with her mother who is also a teacher, said she and her teacher lover took advantage of the fact that she was not staying at the girls' hostels to meet at his house in secret," said the source.

"Ndlovu took the lower sixth pupil and hid her at his rural home in Kezi for two months in a bid to conceal the pregnancy from school officials and his wife who stays in Bulawayo. He convinced her to relocate after promising to marry her."