22 August 2013 at 12:25
People who ought to be protectors are allegedly perpetrating crimes against children, the Film and Publications Board (FPB) said on Wednesday.
“Looking at the profile of those arrested, it affirms that these crimes attract even the most trusted within society,” said FPB acting CEO Jonas Phoshoko in a statement.
He was reacting to the arrest of six men allegedly linked to an international child-pornography ring. Police spokesman Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale said they were arrested last Thursday in four provinces.
Among them were two teachers, a retired school principal, a lawyer, a dermatologist, and a businessman. All six appeared in various South African courts on different days and the last case was heard on Monday, said Makgale.
“…These are people who ought to be protectors and not [alleged] perpetrators,” said Phoshoko.
He commended the police on the arrests.
“…We trust… those found in transgression of the Film and Publications Act by being in possession, creating or distributing child pornography will be severely punished if found guilty.”
Phoshoko urged parents to be vigilant and guard their children against potential abusers, both physically and on the internet.
Meanwhile a principal of a high profile private school in Mpumalanga has been fired after being arrested in connection with an international child pornography syndicate.
The man who cannot be named until he pleads appeared in the White River Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and was released on R1000 bail, a Sapa correspondent reported.
“Today, we have come up with an agreement to terminate his position in the school,” the school board announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The board said it regarded the allegation in the most serious light while respecting his constitutionally protected right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The accused, who is an award-winning author, has been headmaster at the preparatory school for the past three years.
The board described him as a man “characterised by exceptional professionalism,” who also enjoyed the respect of his teaching colleagues, parents and pupils alike.
