EC school principal says rape claims against him have impacted him negatively

JOHANNESBURG - The principal of Bergview College, Jaco Pieterse, said that parents had threatened to remove their children from his school after he was implicated in a rape scandal.

Pieterse was at the centre of the alleged rape case of a seven-year-old Eastern Cape pupil which gripped the nation a few months ago.

The case was, however, dropped by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) after it found "no conclusive evidence" that the child was ever assaulted.

On Friday, Pieterse was at the Sophiatown Police Station in Johannesburg where he laid defamation charges against African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema and Education MEC Fundile Gade for accusing him of raping the child.

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The alleged rape of the seven-year-old girl sparked countrywide protests and several online campaigns calling for justice.

While that has died down, Pieterse said that he was still dealing with the aftereffects, both personally and professionally.

He said that the incident had made some parents at his school uncomfortable with his presence, with some calling for him to be fired.

"There’s been quite a few people who have expressed it, but the school has taken precautions and I have not been back to school yet to perform my duties onsite. I have been doing it off-site."

AfriForum’s private prosecution unit said that Pieterse’s family had also received death and rape threats online.