Busiswe Primary Rape Case: Bail Application Heard Today
The bail application of the 59-year-old teacher accused of raping a nine-year-old learner at Busisiwe Primary School in Zola, Soweto, is being heard in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court today, with the National Prosecuting Authority confirming it will oppose his release.
The teacher, Kabelo Temba, handed himself over to police on 21 October following public outcry after a video of the child recounting the alleged ordeal went viral. He faces a charge of rape.
THE ALLEGATIONS
According to the NPA, Temba allegedly raped the Grade 4 learner in the school toilets on 6 October 2026.
The child told her mother the same day, but the police were not notified until 10 October 2026. The delay in reporting, and the school’s initial response, has been a source of deep anger in the community.
Parents protested outside the school, demanding action and asking why the teacher kept working while the child stayed home.
“I WANT HIM TO ROT IN JAIL”
The mother of the nine-year-old, who cannot be named to protect her daughter’s identity, previously told the Soweto Bulletin she was relieved the teacher had been apprehended but remained deeply angry about how the matter was handled.
“I want him to rot in jail. I trust whatever my daughter has said is true, even if some people are trying to say it’s not true. I’m standing with my daughter 100%,” she said.
She revealed that her daughter told her the alleged rape was not the first time. “At first, I thought it was bullying. I asked her if there was something wrong happening at school, and she said nothing until she mentioned it on Friday morning, saying that there is something that has been happening in school. And apparently, it’s not the first time.”
GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT RESPOND
Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile visited the school and attended earlier court proceedings, initiating a coordinated government response involving the departments of Education, Social Development, Health, and the SAPS.
The teacher has been placed on precautionary suspension, and the learner and her family are receiving psychosocial support, trauma counselling and access to healthcare services.
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has also expressed “profound shock, outrage and deep concern,” calling for the strict enforcement of the National Register for Sex Offenders.
