Chatsworth teacher probed for alleged tequila binge with pupils
Bottles of Jose Cuervo Tequila rest on a shelf in Mexico City Bottles of Jose Cuervo Tequila rest on a shelf in Mexico City
Durban - A Chatsworth high school teacher faces two investigations for allegedly drinking tequila with pupils in her classroom. The South African Educators Council (Sace) and the Department of Education have both confirmed they’re investigating the teacher.
The alleged incident happened on August 8 last year. While the investigations continue, the teacher has resumed her duties, which includes teaching matric pupils.
Sace confirmed the matter had been reported. The body is responsible for registering teachers and ensuring they abide by a code of ethics.
Sace spokesperson Themba Ndhlovu said: “An investigation was conducted and finalised in October last year, but we could not proceed with a hearing as it was exam time. A disciplinary hearing is scheduled to take place in Durban in March.”
On August 28, the school’s governing body instituted a tribunal over the incident.
At the tribunal, the pupils – two in matric and a third in Grade 11 – confessed to drinking alcohol with the teacher during school hours in her classroom.
According to the pupils, the alcohol was provided by the teacher. It emerged that one pupil carried the teacher’s shoes and handbag to her vehicle. She jumped into the driver’s seat and drove, allegedly under the influence of alcohol.
She made a stop to drop off one of the matric pupils at his home near Westcliff. She and the other two pupils then stopped at a liquor outlet in Bayview.
While there, she allegedly bumped into another car and drove off. The teacher failed to appear at the tribunal and a sick note was handed in on her behalf.
In the note she indicated she would not return to school for the rest of the year. The teacher returned to her post at the start of the 2019 school year.
Parents claim the principal, who is related to the teacher, had not done enough to report the matter to the Department of Education.
The principal declined to comment. The school governing body chairperson did not want to comment.
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said he had not been made aware of the matter.
“Now that we’ve been informed, we will conduct our own investigation, and if the allegations are found to be true, the teacher in question will be in gross violation of our rules of conduct and disciplinary action will be taken against her,” Mahlambi said.
The Umlazi District Circuit Manager, Lenny Naicker, also declined to comment.
KwaZulu-Natal Parents Association’s Vee Gani said the department needed to investigate the allegations.
He also encouraged the parents of the pupils involved to open a criminal case against the teacher, saying the episode suggested recklessness.