Principal Suspended After Lowering A Student Into A Pit Latrine

By Getrude Mathayo / Published March 18, 2021 | 3:09 pm

KEY POINTS

What would you if as a parent you heard that your child was lowered into a used pit latrine to retrieve a phone for a teacher? Would you go to the police or would you head to the school and thoroughly cane that teacher on the behinds?

A South African headteacher is now in hot soup who allegedly lowered an 11-year-old pupil by a rope in a feces-filled pit latrine to retrieve a phone. Can you imagine this happening to your son or daughter? Who would do such a thing? Pathetic.

The headteacher has since been suspended. It is reported that the school headteacher, who was using the toilet, accidentally dropped his phone and then sent the boy to search for it. The 49 years old Mr. Lubeko Lennox Mgandela, is facing child abuse charges. He is alleged to have promised to give the boy 200 rands (Ksh1,500) to help retrieve the phone.

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The alleged incident happened about two weeks ago at Lututu Junior Secondary School in Ugie at Elundini municipality. The incident was seemingly kept under wraps until it reached the children advocacy group which blew the whistle this week.

According to the pupil’s grandmother, a 74 years old, who cannot be identified to protect the child, said when her grandchild came home from school on a Monday he had a funny smell

She said she learned about the incident from the boy’s cousin who is also at the same school who told her that the principal called a group of learners to use buckets to take out feces from the toilet to make it easier for the boy to get inside.

She said her grandson was allegedly told to take off his pants and only leave his underwear, a rope was tied around his waist and he was given two hand gloves to search for the phone. The boy did not manage to get the phone, but the principal gave him R50.

The one-hour cellophane search operations involved dozens of other school children, who were allegedly ordered by the headteacher to use a bucket to remove as many feces as possible before the boy was lowered down.