The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the double life sentence, handed down by the Vryheid Regional Court, to convicted rapist Patrick Nkosi.
Nkosi, a teacher at a local school, was accused of the rape of two minor boys and had paid them each R2 to keep it quiet.
The appalling act comes on the back of written parliamentary questions by the DA in 2022 around whether KZN educators are vetted against the sexual offences/child protection register. At the time, the response from KZN’s Department of Education (DoE) was ‘no’ but that it was in the process of establishing a system to do so.
Two years later and not much has changed in this regard. The DA will submit a follow up question to KZN Education MEC, Sipho Hlomuka to establish whether a system is now in place and when it will be implemented.
The safety and security of our learners is of paramount importance. A holistic approach is needed to ensure that they are safe, both inside and outside the classroom.