A 15-year-old girl from a private boarding school in Harrismith, Free State, South Africa, has allegedly been s3xually @bused by her school principal, leaving her withdrawn and isolated from her family and friends.
The child’s 42-year-old mother, who cannot be named to protect her daughter’s identity, said the incident occurred last month. She explained that the harassment began earlier in the year when the headmaster repeatedly asked her daughter about her virginity status.
On November 11, the principal allegedly summoned the girl to his office. “Later, he called her through the res lady, and as soon as they were in the office, the principal asked for a hug, but my daughter politely refused,” the mother said. The principal then allegedly instructed her to go to an old office block, where he touched her private parts.
The girl confided in her friends, who advised her to tell her parents. Her parents immediately drove 280km from Johannesburg to confront the situation. The mother said the principal admitted to making inappropriate remarks but denied further wrongdoing.
She also alleged that local police were reluctant to open a case and even asked her to leave the school premises. Security guards reportedly told her they had been instructed to deny her access. The Free State education department later assisted her in registering a case.
The mother described how the ordeal had changed her daughter’s behaviour: “Now she is always in her room playing games and not saying a word to anyone.”
Free State education spokesperson Howard Ndaba stressed that independent schools are not exempt from oversight: “No independent school, no governing body, and no principal is above the laws of SA. Every school remains subject to the oversight of the provincial education department which is the ultimate custodian of learner safety and welfare in this province.”
The National Prosecuting Authority confirmed that the principal faces charges of s3xual assault, intimidation, and r@pe. He has been arrested and suspended from his position pending trial.
