A former Grade R teacher from Harvester Primary School will return to the Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate’s Court on Mandela Day Friday, July 18, when the court is expected to hand down judgment on her bail application.
The Plainsman attended her court appearance on Tuesday, July 15, where the magistrate postponed the matter to Friday. The case was initially scheduled to proceed on Tuesday.
Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said the reason for the postponement was to allow the court to decide on bail, and that the accused will remain in custody until then.
The 35‑year‑old teacher, who may not be named until she has entered a plea, faces charges of sexually grooming a child and exposing a child to explicit material.
The teacher faces charges of sexually grooming a child and exposing a child to explicit material. It was heard in late June that she was unlikely to undermine the justice process, which could allow for bail, but the court has yet to make a final decision.
The teacher allegedly initiated TikTok chats with a 13‑year‑old grade 7 pupil, sending messages of a sexual nature. These conversations reportedly escalated over several weeks before the child reported the matter.
Bronagh Hammond, spokesperson for the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), said counselling has been provided to the child and the child’s family, and a debriefing session was held with staff.
She said in the third term the department’s ISLES (Integrated School Health and Learner Support) team will run a psychosocial programme for all pupils.
Ms Hammond confirmed that the WCED is examining the principal's conduct. “While the principal did report the incident to the department in line with protocol, additional concerns about how it was handled have been raised. We await the SAPS investigation before drawing conclusions,” she said.
Ms Hammond said the Abuse No More protocol directs schools on managing abuse claims.
When a WCED‑employed teacher is implicated, the Labour Relations Directorate investigates. If found guilty, the teacher can be dismissed, blocked on the government’s PERSAL (Personnel and Salary System) database, and reported to the South African Council for Educators (SACE). A criminal conviction would place the individual's name on the National Sex Offenders Register, which schools now consult before hiring staff.
Ms Hammond said the WCED continues to train staff on the protocol and will launch a provincial roadshow in the third term to reinforce reporting duties and protect pupils.