SCHOOL EXPELS FOUR GIRLS FOR SEX IN A HOSTEL
A mother to one of the four alleged lesbians recently expelled from Lotsane Secondary School boarding facilities in Palapye has taken government to court.
The quartet, all in Form Four, were suspected to be couples involved in sexual relations with each other.
Through a disciplinary hearing, they were found guilty of violating Covid-19 protocols and committing public indecency after other students reported them to the school management for having sex in the dormitories.
Following an internal investigation, the School Head, Dineo Gabete served the girls with a letter of expulsion from boarding facilities. They are, however, allowed to continue their studies as day scholars.
The incensed mother of one of the girls, through her lawyer, Owen Nsala last week filed an urgent application before Francistown High Court to compel the school to give her 17-year-old daughter access to dormitories with immediate effect.
Nsala filed a notice of motion before Judge Moesi demanding that the school head set aside the decision to expel Kagiso (not her real name) from boarding facilities. He made an application for an order for the matter to be treated as urgent.
Speaking to The Voice outside court, Nsala said the matter affects the rights of her client’s daughter to education, access to a habitable place to stay and proper social orientation.
He said this is why they filed an urgent application for the child to have access to boarding. His client, Nsala said being the mother of the child, believed the expulsion was unlawful.
“We do not know what their decision was based on because the girls’ dormitory mates were not called to confirm the allegations of her sleeping with another student. We demanded to know the process that was followed at the child’s hearing. The disciplinary enquiry did not meet the necessary rules of natural justice. Her parents live more than 100km from Palapye and they cannot afford to pay for her rent,” said Nsala.
According to Kagiso’s mother the child was called for disciplinary hearing on the 14th of August.
“I asked the disciplinary committee to call students who had made a report of public indecency or violation of Covid-19 protocols against my child and they refused. We did not have an opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses. In her response to the committee my daughter admitted to sharing a bed with a female student a week before the disciplinary hearing. However the admission of sharing a bed was by no means an admission of any sexual involvement and public indecency. My daughter denied at the hearing any suggestions of her being sexually involved with another female student,” said the defensive mother.
Ministry of Basic Education Principal Public Relations Officer, Oarabile Phefo confirmed that they have received the motion of notice to reinstate one of the girls. According to Phefo the ministry’s legal advisors were at the time of going to press still working on the response.
He stated that said since the matter was still before court, he was not at liberty to go into details of what transpired at the school.
The case is set to be back in court for argument this Friday (28 August).
