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TEACHER ASSAULTED BY COLLEAGUE, WETS HERSELF IN CLASS

08/10/2022 07:47:00 Thokozani Mazibuko

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MBABANE – A female teacher, out of shock at being attacked by a fellow educator while she was conducting lessons, wet herself in front of her pupils.

The teacher, whose identity will not be revealed because of the stigma she could be exposed to, had to be taken to her house by the head teacher after the incident, which her assaulter admitted was embarrassing. This incident occurred at Manzini Central Primary School, which is located next to the Mavuso Trade Centre. Nomphumelelo Nxumalo, who is close to retirement age and walks with the aid of crutches, is the one who carried out the attack and she used one of the support sticks to assault her colleague.

The reason for the attack was a missing key to the assaulted teacher’s locker, in which she had put test papers she needed for a class examination. A case of assault was eventually opened against Nxumalo and she made an appearance before Manzini Eswatini National Court President Zembe Dvuba.
In her submission, the complainant told the court that the relationship she had with Nxumalo had always been a healthy working relationship, until the day of the assault.

Misunderstanding

The two had just attended a meeting before they had a misunderstanding over the locker key. “I had locked the locker without any idea that the accused had also put her stuff (test papers) there. After the short meeting, I quickly attended to some issue at the secretary’s office. Upon return, I found the accused person going through my bag and at that time she looked a bit upset shouting something like I am a useless. I responded saying I’d lost the key to the locker as I was annoyed by her behaviour,” narrated the complainant. The complainant told the court that Nxumalo had hurled insults at her after being annoyed by her behaviour and at that time left.

“I quickly opened the locker and sent one of the pupils to drop the test papers at the accused’s classroom. After my period I went to her class to ask if it was really necessary to shout insultive words in the presence of my pupils, but even then she continued insulting me saying ‘you are now annoying me (soyangenyanyisa wena ulibele yini kantsi)’,” further narrated the complainant. The complainant then said she went to the deputy principal’s office to report that the accused had threatened to assault her and she was scared. “I then went back to my class and just when I was attending to my pupils, the accused emerged advancing to me and I took a few steps back to the other row in between the desks and she advanced further. She used one of her crutches to hit me on the back (buttocks). I might have been in shock, I peed on myself and the pupils were watching too,” she said to the court.

Embarrassed

“The accused said after assaulting me, ‘ngikutjelile kutsi ngitakutfola’ meaning that I told you that I will deal with you. Embarrassed, I walked out of the class to the deputy’s office again and she reported the matter to the principal of the school, who then took me to my house,” she added. The complainant in her submission further disclosed to the court that it took her a few days to regain confidence to face the pupils and the accused did not acknowledge that she was on the wrong. “She failed to make a proper apology as she only stood at the door saying ‘hhayi kabi kuloku lokwenteka, ngitsi nje ncesi’. I wasoffended by her kind of apology and I decided to report and lay charges of assault against her at the police station in Manzini, that is all,” the complainant said.

She called me ‘cripple’ – accused teacher

Nomphumelelo Nxumalo, the teacher accused of assaulting her colleague in front of her pupils at Manzini Central Primary School, pleaded guilty to committing the offence. However, she told the court that the complainant had called her a handicapped which made her angrier and prompted her to commit the offence. The court had explained to the accused three alternatives and their significances to which she opted to conduct her own defence.
“On this day we were in a rush after the meeting took long, yet I had put my papers in her (complainant) locker. I wanted to administer the test and I found the locker locked and I asked that they call her after I had gone through her bag. When she returned, before I could say a word, she said we are not working today as the locker is locked. I got so angry and left and she followed me insulting me,” narrated the accused.

“I just shouted and then hit her with the crutch once on the buttocks. the Regional Education Officer (REO) and the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) officers have been trying to handle the matter,” said the accused in her defence. The court asked her if she was supposed to assault and insult her colleague in front of pupils, and she said ‘no’, but was supposed to report to the deputy or principal any misunderstanding. The accused was then asked why she had put her papers inside the complainant’s locker and was further asked if she aware that she had wetted herself in the process. The accused told the court that she hadn’t noticed that the complainant had wetted herself but acknowledged that it was an embarrassing situation.

Justified

Furthermore, the accused was asked how she would have felt if someone had done such to her but she claimed that she was justified as the complainant had also insulted her. The accused when pleading guilty to the charges said it was true that she had insulted and assaulted the complainant, which resulted in her wetting herself in front of the pupils. The accused attributed her actions to anger and she further disclosed to the court that each teacher is allocated a locker at the school. The court president warned the accused and complainant that it was wrong to exchange words in front of pupils and also emphasised that it was unacceptable.

“Let alone the extent of assaulting your colleague, she was embarrassed by such behaviour, worse peeing on herself and I find you guilty as charged,” said the court president. In mitigation, the accused told the court that she was employed as a teacher and would lose her job if incarcerated. “I am about to retire, this is the first of its kind, I am sickly and I must have overreacted,” said the accused teacher. Court President Chief Zembe Dvuba found the accused guilty as charged and sentenced her to five months imprisonment or an option of a E500 fine, which she paid.

Attempts to get the deputy principal to comment to the matter failed as when reached, she referred the matter to the school chairperson and the REO.
The School Chairperson of Manzini Central Primary School, Victor Ngwenya, confirmed that they received the report of the assault of the teacher by her colleague. “We are still waiting for the REO to take the necessary action against the teacher as the situation at the school is no longer conducive,” he pointed out.

Regional Education Officer Sizwe Kunene also confirmed that the matter was reported to his office by the school administration. “It is true, we know about the issue. We have once called the teacher and talked to her about the problem and she promised to mend her ways,” he said.