A colleague of a pre-school teacher who was caught on video
assaulting children at an illegal crèche has expressed shock at the abuse and
described the woman as a sweet person.
Nellie Senwametsi's horrific assault on children at
Ninnie's Neuron's Nursery School in Carletonville on the West Rand emerged this
week after videos of her physical attacks on children went viral on social
media, sparking outrage.
A teacher at the school, who asked to remain anonymous,
told Sowetan she was not aware that her colleague had been abusing children.
The woman and a parent who spoke to Sowetan described the
teacher as a "friendly person". "I'm really shocked. You would
never suspect her of such things," she said.
A parent whose two children attend the aftercare programme
at the crèche said she was also surprised about the allegations of abuse.
"The teacher is a friendly person. You never imagine
her beating children," she said. Gauteng MEC for social development Nandi
Mayathula-Khoza shut down the school after three disturbing videos of children
being assaulted by the teacher emerged.
Mayathula-Khoza said the crèche was operating illegally,
with a conditional certificate which expired two years ago.
The videos, including one where a little boy can be seen
being violently dragged and slapped, have led to 40-year-old Senwametsi's
arrest. She was released on R3,000 bail.
Mayathula-Khoza said the videos were shocking, adding that
crèche owner Janine Edward had pleaded ignorance despite parents saying they
had complained to her about possible abuse.
"This is unacceptable. We condemn it in the strongest
terms," she said. She urged parents to open a case against Edward as they
claim that she had been aware of the abuse.
Yesterday, parents rushed to remove their children from the
crèche while furious community members gathered outside the property.
The mother of a two-year-old girl, who can be seen in one
of the videos being dragged and beaten, said she was horrified by what happened
to her child.
In the video, the teacher can be heard screaming at the
toddler while dragging her by the collar.
"My daughter is not the same anymore. She will sit in
a corner and cry for no reason. She is traumatised," she said.
The mother said she opened a case with police yesterday
after viewing the video. She said she removed her child from the creche last
year after picking up that something was amiss but only saw the video a few
days ago.
She said Edward had dismissed her when she complained that
her daughter came home with bruises on her legs.
"I want justice for my child," the mother said. 'We
didn't believe our child when he spoke of creche beatings,' says heartbroken
grandma
Another parent, Jo-Ann Kenny-Manotwane, said she removed
her two children aged four and three after viewing the videos yesterday.
"Our children are not safe here. I'm very
shocked," Kenny-Manotwane said. She said she would demand the R2,000 she
paid for her children's fees for April.
Edward's lawyer Danie van Zyl said his client was
blackmailed by a former teacher who took the videos a year ago.
Van Zyl said Edward was not aware of the abuse as the
incidents happened in her absence.
He said Edward approached the child protection unit and
opened a case after one teacher sent her the videos over a week ago. He said
Edward was shocked, adding that parents never complained to her before.
Van Zyl said the teacher who took the videos should also be
arrested as she kept quiet about the abuses for over a year.
Provincial police spokeswoman Brig Mathapelo Peters said
the teacher would make her next appearance before the Oberholzer magistrate's
court on May 7 after having been released on bail.
Peters said the case was prioritised as it involved serious
crimes committed against children. Sowetan
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