The Mpumalanga Department of Education has suspended a teacher from LD Moetanalo High School in Mhluzi outside Middleburg who was captured on video forcefully cutting off the braids of a learner.

Shocking video footage of a teacher pulling a learner by her hair and threatening to cut her hair with a pair of scissors pic.twitter.com/J5ZnitnAkQ

— Middelburg Observer (@MiddelburgNews) August 22, 2024

UNACCEPTABLE 

The department has condemned with the strongest terms the conduct of the teacher, whose video has since gone viral on social media. In the video, the teacher who is wearing a black dress in an overcrowded classroom is seen pulling the learner's braids while the other learners are screaming and laughing. The department said the facts that led to the incident are not yet clear, hence the decision to initiate an investigation into the incident.

SUSPENSION

The department spokesperson, Jasper Zwane, said pending investigation, the department has decided to institute precautionary suspension against the teacher with immediate effect while they probe into the circumstances that led to this incident unfolding. "Teachers are expected to conduct themselves appropriately and professionally as guided by their professional ethics and conduct according to SACE; hence, this conduct is deemed inappropriate. They are supposed to be mindful of the Bill of Rights and always act in the best interests of learners," said Zwane.

He said the victimised learner and other learners affected by this unfortunate incident will urgently be assisted with psychosocial counselling by departmental officials to help them pull through this unfortunate ordeal. "The Department will also reflect on the school's code of conduct for learners as part of the investigation process. The Department will provide more information on the matter once the investigation is concluded," Zwane added.