Durban — Next year will be more than a year since a 55-year-old high school teacher was arrested and charged with six counts of rape alleged to have been committed on the school’s premises.
In all this time he has been appearing in court the trial has yet to get under way even though the case was transferred in December last year from the district to the regional court, which is the trial court in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court.
The man is out on R5 000 bail had been teaching at the school since 2008. He was arrested by police on the premises in April last year.
In the first count of rape, the teacher allegedly raped a 17-year-old on March 16.
It is alleged that he raped her more than once. On the second count, he is alleged on that same day to have inserted his finger in her genital organ.
On count 3, it is alleged that on January 19 the accused raped another 17-year-old. The State alleges that the victim was also raped more than once.
And six days after this it is alleged that the accused inserted his finger into the genital organs of the same victim.
The accused is also charged with exposure of genital organs to a child. In 2021 he allegedly pulled down his pants, showing his privates to the 17-year-old victim at the school.
In February, involving count 6, he is alleged to have inserted his finger into the genital organ of another 17-year-old victim and raped her more than once.
He is alleged to have repeated this in March with the same victim.
The accused also faces a charge of sexual grooming of children in relation to another 17-year-old victim.
This year the man has made a number of appearances in the trial court but the matter has not yet got to a stage where the actual trial has actually begun.
The teacher recently appeared in court with his new legal counsel after changing lawyers when the pre-trial had been concluded.
The case was adjourned to January 2024. Some of the alleged rape victims were in Grade 12 this year.
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