/ 7 October 2013

Hyde Park teacher suspended for sending nude pic to pupil

According to the report
According to the report, the teacher engaged in a late-night WhatsApp chat with the boy's mother thinking it was him. (Oupa Nkosi, M&G)

A Hyde Park High School teacher was suspended for allegedly sending a 16-year-old pupil a naked picture of himself, EyeWitness News reported on Monday.

According to the report, the teacher is out on bail after the mother laid criminal charges against him.

The Gauteng education department said an independent investigation has been launched into how the school and the district office handled the case.

"The teacher is suspended and we have put in place an independent investigation that will cover all circumstances regarding this case," spokesperson Gershwin Chuenyane was quoted as saying.

"The department will be guided by the outcome of the investigation on what action to take."

Late-night WhatsApp chat
According to the report, on July 30 the teacher engaged in a late-night WhatsApp chat with the boy's mother, thinking it was the pupil. The teacher allegedly sent numerous sexual images and made sexual suggestions.

She engaged with the teacher after she saw an image of a man sitting naked in a bathtub holding his genitals, pop up on the screen of her son's cellphone, it was reported.

Her identity and her son's have been withheld to protect her son's identity.

The mother went to the national education department. She said it took over a week for the teacher to be suspended and she then laid a criminal charge. – Sapa