The Sowetan newspaper on Friday in
Pretoria said that the teacher was jailed on Wednesday for hitting an eight year
pupil with a hosepipe for failing a class test.
The paper said the incident occurred
on Feb. 8, 2014, at Gordon`s Primary School in Alexandra, north of
Johannesburg.
The publication quoted the
Magistrate, Gideon Suhnetler, as saying that it was time teachers realised that
corporal punishment was outlawed in South Africa.
It said that a medical doctor
testified that the child suffered hand sepsis, a skin infection that changed
the wound to various colours.
“ Her hand no longer works properly
and there are fears it might not recover entirely, “ the doctor said.
The paper also said that the pupil
testified via video feed that the teacher assaulted her, claiming that she had
copied from another pupil.
According to the paper, the pupil`s
mother told the court that the teacher offered her bribe to close the case.
The teacher, according to the
Sowetan, said she paid the money after being told to do so by her Head Master.
Rakosa said the head master wanted
the matter settled before the media got the information.
The magistrate, however, said that
it was impossible for an adult like the teacher to accept a liability if she
had not committed the offence.
He said the teacher`s testimony was
not trustworthy and was aimed at defending herself.
The paper quoted the prosecutor,
Jackie Letsoalo, as requesting the court to jail the teacher for five years.
The magistrate exercised leniency
and jailed her for one year because she was the sole breadwinner in her family
and had two children.
The teacher`s husband, the
publication also said, was unemployed.
The Sowetan said that while there
were many cases in the country, this was the first time a teacher had been
sentenced to prison.
(NAN)
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