The DA will again write to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Education MEC, Sipho Hlomuka, to request the urgent vetting all of Department of Education (DoE) employees against the National Sex Offenders register.
This follows the sentencing of 37-year-old Ayanda Lembede to life imprisonment for crimes committed against two female learners, aged eight and nine, at an Empangeni school between 2021 and 2022. We welcome this conviction.
Lembede was employed as a security guard at the school. It is horrific to think he would use this as an opportunity to prey on young girls, instead of protecting them.
These shocking incidents highlight concerns raised by the DA in 2019, 2021, 2022 and again earlier this year around the vetting of DoE and school staff against the National Sex Offenders Register to ensure the increased safety of children at our schools.
While the DoE has, through written parliamentary replies, indicated that it was in the process of vetting its employees, after more than two years, there has been no implementation of this process.
Sexual offences in KZN’s schools have reached alarming levels, with recent reports revealing that more than 200 cases were recorded in 2023 alone. This represents a disturbing rise in incidents of sexual violence against learners.
The DA has for years called on government to address this growing epidemic, and we have long called for urgent reforms.
Regrettably, our calls for an immediate expansion of the National Sex Offenders Register – and vetting of all school staff against it – has largely fallen on deaf ears.
It is an urgent necessity to protect vulnerable learners. Swift action is critical to preventing further harm and ensuring that those who perpetrate such heinous acts are barred from entering or remaining in educational environments.
Time is of the essence – immediate action can protect lives and restore trust in our education system.