Note to Editors: Attached please find a soundbite in English by Sergio Isa Dos Santos MPL here.
The devastating loss of Mphoentle Mabena, a Grade 12 learner from Daspoort Secondary School in Pretoria who committed suicide after allegedly enduring ongoing physical abuse by an educator over three years, has further highlighted the lack of safety in Gauteng schools. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng calls for an urgent, independent investigation and swift accountability on this matter and reiterates its call for vetting of people working with learners.
Further allegations that the learner had been subjected to abuse days before his death, along with emerging claims of physical and sexual misconduct by the same educator, are deeply disturbing and add to the severity of this incident.
These serious allegations, if proven true, point to a deeply troubling failure to protect learners in an environment where they spend most of their daily lives. They further underscore the DA’s longstanding concerns about inadequate vetting of educators and highlight the urgent need to strengthen abuse reporting mechanisms.
While the temporary transfer of the educator to the district office and the deployment of psychosocial support to the school are welcomed steps, serious questions remain as to how these allegations could have persisted for years without any intervention.
The DA calls on the Gauteng Department of Education MEC Lebohang Maile to launch an urgent probe into allegations of misconduct against the teacher. No stone should be left unturned in uncovering the truth and in holding the teacher accountable if found guilty. The Mphoentle family deserves nothing less.
The DA is the only party that can restore safety in our schools to protect all our learners. We would introduce a dedicated, anonymous reporting system for learners supported by a structured response mechanism.
Reports of abuse would be addressed promptly by a multi-disciplinary team, including school and district officials, to ensure early detection, rapid response, thorough investigation, and protection and support, while maintaining the rights of the accused during the investigation.
The DA will continue to push for full accountability in this matter and insist on proper vetting of all school staff in the province to strengthen protections and ensure that every learner has a safe learning environment.