08 Apr 2023

Three Sir Seretse Khama Memorial (SSKM) Junior Secondary School teachers have been charged with unlawful administration of corporal punishment on a pupils.

 The trio; Tlamelo Letlole (44), Unangoni Phindela (41) and Sophie Mmusi (53) appeared before Principal Magistrate Goratile Moremi-Ramakoloi on Thursday to answer for a 2021 incident that went viral on social media.

According to the charge sheet read to them before a fully parked Broadhurst Magistrate Court, the three teachers, contrary to section 2 (I) and (III) of the Education Act (corporal punishment regulations) laws of Botswana, on or about 29 September 2021, at SSKM school in Gaborone, acting jointly and with common purpose unlawfully administered corporal punishment on six learners of the same school.

The prosecutor, Ms Lebogang Mapete from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, requested that pleas be reserved as the accused were appearing before the court for the first time and had not been served with all the necessary statements.

She then served the lawyers for the accused with witness statements and the pupil's medical reports, among other documents.

The statements, she said, would enable the lawyers to advice their clients accordingly before pleas could be taken.

Therefore, Ms Mapete said the accused would take pleas during the next mention scheduled for May 19.

Before setting the next mention date, Magistrate Moremi-Ramakoloi advised that efforts should be made to accommodate the case during times when schools were on break.

 “I would like to have mention dates when there is no school to avoid disruption of classes,” she said, adding that such was necessary as the three accused were still actively teaching.

The first accused person, Letlole is represented by attorney Mr Lesedi Moahi while Ms Unami Ntsuke represents Phindela and Mmusi. Ends