Parents slam East London primary school’s handling of alleged sex assault

Parents and community members gathered outside an East London primary school on Friday, demanding answers over its handling of analleged sexual assaultbetween two pupils. The young suspect appeared at the East London Magistrate’s Court on February 10, where he also gave statements to social workers before being released into the care of his parents pending further investigation. On Friday, protesters — including the nine-year-old’s mother — stood outside the school gates, singing and calling for the removal of the principal and suspension of certain staff members.

They accused the school of failing to respond appropriately after the allegations surfaced. The girl’s mother said she wanted justice for her child. “We want justice for my child.

We want the principal to leave because she is not acting in the right way regarding the case. “We have been coming here as parents for the [recently convened] parent meetings, but the principal and the staff do not want to attend to us.” The mother said she believed her concerns had not been taken seriously and that communication from the school had been inadequate. Investigations [are] under way, but our primary issue now is to ensure that the nine-year-old child is safe and getting continuous trauma counselling debriefings for her to be integrated back to school Eastern Cape education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the department’s immediate priority was the wellbeing of the children involved. “Investigations [are] under way, but our primary issue now is to ensure that the nine-year-old child is safe and getting continuous trauma counselling debriefings for her to be integrated back to school,” Mtima said.