Teacher reinstated after unfair dismissal claims

'FABRICATED ALLEGATIONS'

- ZELDA VENTER

THE Western Cape Education Department has failed in its legal bid to have an order overturned which ruled it was to reinstate and pay back more than R360 000 to a Primrose Park Primary School teacher that it fired following claims of misconduct involving claims by learners.

Lee-Ann Snyders, who had been working at the school since 2013, lost her job following a 2019 disciplinary hearing that found her guilty on 14 charges relating to misconduct.

She was accused by a group of Grade 5 learners of name-calling and using derogatory language and turned to arbitration to have her dismissal overturned. The arbitrator at the time found that the learners had fabricated allegations. Snyders taught the Grade 5B learners at the time, and the charges were based on complaints raised by learners in the Grade 5A class, taught by another teacher.