Africa-Press – South-Africa. We are going through emotions we have never felt before. We accepted Tiro for being himself and loved him for who he was. It’s painful that a teacher like that could cut his life so short by judging him for his sexuality.”
These were the words of Masingita Khosa, the aunt of Tiro Moalusi, who died by suicide after a teacher allegedly mocked him in class in front of fellow pupils for being gay.
Tiro was a Grade 9 pupil at PJ Simelane Secondary School in Soweto and died by suicide two weeks ago.
The pain of unanswered questions regarding his decision continues to haunt his family.
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The traumatised and bitter family say they have still not received answers from the Gauteng Department of Education and the school regarding allegations that the teacher contributed to Tiro’s tragic decision.
“Tiro’s mom is not well. She has not been sleeping, or eating. She is constantly vomiting… She is in dire need of medical attention,” Khosa said.
Tiro loved making jokes and laughing, Khosa said.
She recalled:
His death, she said, had scarred their hearts and they were now afraid that the teacher would continue to do similar things to other children.
On 16 August, said Khosa, Tiro left his mom’s home in Slovoville for school. She said the day went by normally, however, things changed when the teen attended the last period of the day.
“Tiro was called forward to present but the manner in which he was called was not right. The student teacher [allegedly] said ‘Ngwayana abuthi’ [sissy boy], that’s when the whole class and the teacher started laughing.
“Tiro later confronted the student teacher about the incident and how it had made him feel, but the teacher continued laughing. When he saw he was not getting help or an apology from the teacher he went to the class teacher but the matter was never escalated to the principal or Head Of Department (HOD),” said Khosa.
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She said later that day, Tiro never went to his aunt’s home in Tshepisong.
“When he got there he didn’t show signs of someone who had a problem. The two went on with their day. They went to the tuck shop to get cold drink, bread, and eggs. When they got home Tiro made food.
“It was after eating that the aunt saw Tiro was emotional and when she asked what was wrong. He said: ‘Will my sexuality always be something people joke about? Will I live like this forever?’
“Moments after, his aunt heard him vomit in the bathroom and when she got there she found he had collapsed. She called Tiro’s mom and he was rushed to hospital. After trying to save him doctors came out to say he had not made it,” Khosa said.
Khosa said the next day the family went to the school to attempt to find answers.
She said they spoke to pupils, who told them what had happened.
Khosa said they were not given a chance to see the student teacher.
While Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona had stated that an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the pupil’s death had been launched, Khosa said nothing had been done.
“The school has been quiet, the department has been quiet. The district visited us and took our statements last week Wednesday, but days have gone by, and we still have not got a response.”
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She added that the school’s principal had allegedly since denied knowing the student teacher.
“This breaks our hearts. As a family, we are hurting. We are bitter and angry. We do not know who this teacher is, and what makes it worse is that the principal is [allegedly] shielding this teacher.
“We need help. We need answers. It’s not possible that a person can teach at a school and nobody there would know her address or who she is,” Khosa said.
The runaround
She said they had tried to get assistance from the police, but had been given the runaround.
“When we tried opening a case at the police station in Dobsonville, we were told that the incident happened in Tshepisong and that we should go to Kagiso Police Station.
“When we went there, they told us to return to Dobsonville as the case belonged there.
“Every organisation we seek help from needs us to have a case number, and we struggle to get it,” said Khosa.
She said the family only wanted justice for Tiro.
When News24 contacted the department to find out what steps had been taken against the student teacher, Mabona said the matter was still under investigation.
“We cannot be discussing the family through the media. That’s very wrong. The family is mourning. If there are any questions, send them to me.”
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello said, should the family not be happy with the progress of the investigation, they should report it or lay a formal complaint with the local police station commander or district commissioner.
“Alternatively, contact the Gauteng Complaints Service Centre at 082 442 2000,” she said.
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