Pretoria - Two Gauteng educators have been dismissed by the provincial Basic Education Department after being found guilty of three counts of misconduct.
The two educators, Gabriel Petrus Botha and Lobewikus Johannes Viljoen - both from Bekker High School - were found guilty of three acts of misconduct during a rugby tour to Margate, KwaZulu-Natal, in April 2010, where 15-year-old Tokelo Mokone drowned when he and a group of boys tried to save another boy from drowning in the sea. Tokelo's body was found five days later, washed up by the sea.
"The two educators were charged with misconduct for failing to supervise learners. They were found guilty on appeal for failing to ensure that learners were supervised at all times... and failing to inform parents and/or guardians of the full activities to be undertaken by learners during the rugby trip to Margate," said the department in a statement.