Learner seeks time before testifying against father

TEACHER MISCONDUCT

- GENEVIEVE SERRA

THE criminal case involving a teacher accused of raping his minor daughter for four years has been struck off the roll provisionally to allow the child to be psychologically and emotionally ready for her testimony.

The teacher's position was reinstated at a high school in Mitchell's Plain following an arbitration outcome in April.

In the criminal matter, the teacher, who may not be named in order to protect his daughter's identity, made an appearance in the Blue Down’s Regional Court on Friday, where he heard that the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) would allow for the matter to be removed from the court roll, after a letter from a psychiatrist was obtained that the victim would need more time to be ready for testimony.

In May, the Cape Argus told of how gender-based violence activists together with the Community Policing Forum (CPF) expressed outrage at the teacher being allowed back into his post at the school.