Following the conviction of Ayanda Lembede, a security guard at a school, for the rape and sexual assault of two young girls, the DA in KwaZulu-Natal calls for urgent vetting of school staff against the National Sex Offenders Register. | Zoe Selsky
Durban — The DA in KwaZulu-Natal has welcomed the conviction of another child rapist in the province’s schools.
DA KZN spokesperson on education, Sakhile Mngadi, was reacting to the Empangeni Regional Court sentencing Ayanda Lembede, 37, to life and 10 years imprisonment for the rape, and sexual assault of two children aged eight and nine years old.
The incidents happened in Empangeni, northern KZN, between 2021 and 2022.
Lembede was a security guard at a school in the area, and the girls were pupils at the school when he committed the offences.
He threatened to kill the girls if they disclosed his actions to anyone. Eventually one of the girls confided in her mother and the other girl spoke out too.
Lembede was arrested after the girls’ parents reported the matter to the police.
KZN National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said Lembede was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a girl. While he was also charged with raping the other girl, the court convicted him on the competent verdict of sexual assault. For this, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm. The court ordered his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders and that he be deemed unfit to work with children.
Mngadi said the party will write to KZN Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka again, requesting the urgent vetting of all department employees against the National Sex Offenders register.
“It is horrific to think he would use this as an opportunity to prey on young girls, instead of protecting them,” Mngadi said.
He said these incidents highlight concerns the DA raised in 2019, 2021, 2022 and earlier this year around the vetting of department employees and school staff against the National Sex Offenders Register to ensure the increased safety of children at our schools.
Mngadi said that through written parliamentary replies, the department indicated it was in the process of vetting its employees but after more than two years, there has been no implementation of this process.
“Sexual offences in KZN’s schools have reached alarming levels, with recent reports revealing that more than 200 cases were recorded in 2023 alone. This represents a disturbing rise in incidents of sexual violence against learners,” Mngadi said.
He said the DA, for years, has called on the government to address the growing issue and they have long called for urgent reforms.
“Regrettably, our calls for an immediate expansion of the National Sex Offenders Register - and vetting of all school staff against it - have largely fallen on deaf ears,” Mngadi said.
“It is an urgent necessity to protect vulnerable learners. Swift action is critical to preventing further harm and ensuring that those who perpetrate such heinous acts are barred from entering or remaining in educational environments.
“Time is of the essence - immediate action can protect lives and restore trust in our education system.”
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