Durban — The bail conditions of a Clermont teacher charged with six counts of rape – all allegedly committed at the school – were relaxed for a day as he heads to a Department of Education hearing on Tuesday.
The accused also faces a charge of sexual grooming of children in relation to another 17-year-old victim – other victims in the counts of rape are also aged 17.
On Monday, the 55-year-old teacher appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court where his defence attorney, Krishna Jairam, applied to have the teacher remain in Pinetown for the department’s inquiry.
The teacher, who had been working at the Clermont high school since 2008, was arrested at the premises in April. In May he was released on bail of R5 000 with conditions that he relocates to his chosen alternative address in Northern KZN.
Another condition for his bail was that he signs in two times a week at the local police station where he has relocated, but this was relaxed for the day only by acting magistrate D M Sishi.
Jairam, in submitting the application, said his client would not be able to make it to the police station due to the inquiry which required him to travel from Northern KZN to Pinetown using public transport.
The State indicated that investigations were still incomplete with some J88 reports outstanding as well as interviews and asked for the matter to be adjourned to October.
The State said the victims were also unable to make it to interviews as they were busy with trial exams.
On hearing this, Jairam made an application for the case to be marked final, adding that the matter had been on the roll since April.
However, the magistrate did not grant that application, saying that the turnaround time for further investigations was six months and the matter was only in its fifth month.
“Due to the nature of the offences and the number of victims it makes investigations bulky. The court will not turn a blind eye to the accused having a speedy trial. The court has to balance your interest as well as that of the victims. If there is an unreasonable delay steps will be taken,” Sishi said.
He warned the teacher not to go to Clermont.
At the time the accused was making his bail application, investigating officer Constable S Mtshali told the court that one of the victims alleged that the accused, during after-school classes, called her to his office when she was leaving for home.
“The accused called her into his office. He closed and locked the door and made her lie on the two chairs combined together and he raped her,” he said.
Mtshali also told the court that it had been established that the accused had other pending cases against him, being two rapes and one attempted rape.
“The accused is in danger as the community in Clermont, as well as the school pupils, are angry. The victims are also scared of the accused as they say the accused has threatened them many times before they reported the case,” Mtshali told the court.
The teacher had previously indicated that his intended plea was that of not guilty.
Daily News