Student teacher suspended after suicide of gay teen Tiro Moalusi
mambaonline.com15-year-old gay Soweto teen Tiro Moalusi took his own life allegedly after being humiliated in class The South African Council for Educators (SACE) and the Gauteng Department of Education say they are taking steps to deal with the death of 15-year-old Tiro Moalusi who killed himself after allegedly being humiliated in class. The gay PJ Simelane Secondary School Grade 9 learner was reportedly called a ‘sissy boy’ by the teacher in front of his classmates on 16 August.
That afternoon, the heartbroken Soweto teen reportedly told a family member that it would be difficult for him to live in this world if people would always tease him about his sexuality.
Hours later, he took his own life. The Gauteng Department of Education confirmed on Friday that it has “withdrawn the said student teacher from her duties” and that a SACE investigating officer has been appointed to probe the matter. “Accordingly, the SACE investigator has already interacted with our district officials to assist with the investigation,” said the department.
It has furthermore dispatched a safety coordinator to the school to offer support regarding bullying, safety, and advocacy on gender-based issues. “Our Psycho-Social Unit also deployed a team of psychologists to provide counselling to learners at the school,” added the department.
