POLOKO TAU
A SOWETO high school principal and a teacher accused of slapping, punching and kicking a pupil have pleaded not guilty to charges of serious assault.
The pair, Meadowlands High School principal and SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) official Moss Senye and teacher Ofentse Phehle, appeared in the Protea Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
More than 100 Sadtu members in red Sadtu T-shirts once again turned up in court to support their colleagues.
The 17-year-old Grade 11 pupil and his mother found themselves walking through a throng of union members who asked repeatedly: “Is it him, is it him?”
The public gallery had to be cleared to allow the boy, who is still a minor and the State’s first witness, to testify behind closed doors.
The two teachers are alleged to have slapped, punched and kicked the pupil in February. He reportedly sustained a swollen cheek and bruises on his upper lip.
It was reported earlier this year that following overwhelming support for Senye from the union as well as from some parents who were allegedly taunting the pupil, accusing him of tainting their school’s name and the principal’s image, the boy was moved to another school.
Senye and Phehle are due back in court on April 4.