A JOHANNESBURG primary school teacher has been charged with attempted murder after the HIV-positive man allegedly raped two schoolboys.
The 44-year-old teacher, who worked at a Soweto primary school until he was fired in February, appeared briefly in the Protea Magistrate's Court yesterday, where he is also facing two charges of rape.
The charges relate to his alleged rape of two boys, aged nine and 10, from the school, while the prosecution has not ruled out that other alleged victims may still come forward.
The teacher, who was dismissed by the Gauteng department of education in November for absconding from work, was initially charged with raping the older boy, but yesterday prosecutor Carina Coetzee added another rape charge after a 9-year-old boy came forward.
According to the charge sheet, the teacher also stands accused of "unlawfully and intentionally" attempting to kill the older boy by "exposing him to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection".
Coetzee said this was because the teacher was aware of his HIV status at the time of the alleged rape. She added that he may face another charge of attempted murder once the state ascertains if he knew of his status at the time of the incident involving the younger child.
The nine-year-old's mother, speaking outside court, said she discovered her son's alleged rape last month after he repeatedly wet his bed.
She said her son told a social worker that the teacher had offered him a lift home from school, but instead he took him to the toilets at a mall, where he claims he was raped before the teacher bought him an ice-cream.
The mother of the other boy said that she discovered the alleged rape - which she claims happened when her son was held back in class after school due to a damaged textbook - after her child told his older cousin.
The boy's mother said he was still "disturbed" by the incident. "He doesn't sleep well, he [has] nightmares."
Yesterday, magistrate Audrey Mpofu gave other potential victims a chance to come forward. The prosecution has been given until the end of August to bring any additional charges against the teacher, with the trial set to start in October.
The Gauteng department of education said the teacher was dismissed in November last year for absenteeism.
This article originally appeared in the Sowetan newspaper on 17 July 2014. For more articles like this one, be sure to buy a copy of the Sowetan or subscribe to the digital version.
'HIV+ teacher raped pupils'
A JOHANNESBURG primary school teacher has been charged with attempted murder after the HIV-positive man allegedly raped two schoolboys.
The 44-year-old teacher, who worked at a Soweto primary school until he was fired in February, appeared briefly in the Protea Magistrate's Court yesterday, where he is also facing two charges of rape.
The charges relate to his alleged rape of two boys, aged nine and 10, from the school, while the prosecution has not ruled out that other alleged victims may still come forward.
The teacher, who was dismissed by the Gauteng department of education in November for absconding from work, was initially charged with raping the older boy, but yesterday prosecutor Carina Coetzee added another rape charge after a 9-year-old boy came forward.
According to the charge sheet, the teacher also stands accused of "unlawfully and intentionally" attempting to kill the older boy by "exposing him to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection".
Coetzee said this was because the teacher was aware of his HIV status at the time of the alleged rape. She added that he may face another charge of attempted murder once the state ascertains if he knew of his status at the time of the incident involving the younger child.
The nine-year-old's mother, speaking outside court, said she discovered her son's alleged rape last month after he repeatedly wet his bed.
She said her son told a social worker that the teacher had offered him a lift home from school, but instead he took him to the toilets at a mall, where he claims he was raped before the teacher bought him an ice-cream.
The mother of the other boy said that she discovered the alleged rape - which she claims happened when her son was held back in class after school due to a damaged textbook - after her child told his older cousin.
The boy's mother said he was still "disturbed" by the incident. "He doesn't sleep well, he [has] nightmares."
Yesterday, magistrate Audrey Mpofu gave other potential victims a chance to come forward. The prosecution has been given until the end of August to bring any additional charges against the teacher, with the trial set to start in October.
The Gauteng department of education said the teacher was dismissed in November last year for absenteeism.
This article originally appeared in the Sowetan newspaper on 17 July 2014. For more articles like this one, be sure to buy a copy of the Sowetan or subscribe to the digital version.
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