STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF COSAS ON THE RECENT POLITICAL AND EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INCLUDING THE DISBANDMENT OF THE NEC OF THE ANCYL BY THE RECENT NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE ANC
ON EDUCATION
The Congress of South African Students is concerned about the rise of substance abuse, gang related violence, practice of satanic rituals and sexual related violation amongst many school in south Africa involving learners. This problem which pastes a gloomy picture of our social conduct as a nation needs to be nipped in the bud decisively. As COSAS we view these problems in serious light. As part of our healthy lifestyle campaign, the national leadership will be conducting school visits to mobilize all stakeholders in education including communities to fight against many of these social ills.
COSAS is concerned about the entrenched barbaric culture of learner/teacher relationship in our schools. We call for all teachers that are romantically involved with learners, accused of one form of sexual violation or another to be dismissed with immediate effect.
These bonafide sex pests have no place in the education system of our country. If these teachers are not dismissed we will mobilize all our male learners to propose either the concerned teachers wife or their female teachers. We will urge them to justify that such a conduct they continue to learn everyday from their male teachers. We will mobilize societies to isolate such elements from teaching our learners and call for the South African Council Educators to deregister such teachers.
We are of the firm conviction that the rise in HIV virus amongst girl learners is a direct result of them engaging in sexual relationship with older men. If such can be left unattended it will doom many bright futures of innocent young girls. We strongly believe that the can never be any justification for this inhuman relationship. We are going to lobby the ANC Government to increase the age category of statutory rape from 16 to 18 years old and to also cover girls that are still in school but overage. This will make it easier for law enforcement officers to take action against older men who abuse young girls. The abuse of young girls by old men has to stop by fire or by force.