Durban – A Durban High School Old Boy who outed an alleged, but now deceased, teacher as a sexual predator has called schools nationwide to follow his alma mater’s lead.
Graham Bell, who first revealed the alleged abuse by teacher Harold “Jiggs” Gray, who died over 20 years ago, on a closed online Old Boys website went public in South African media this week about his ordeal.
But Bell, who has lived in Australia for more than 35 years, said DHS has shown “courage” in implementing a new system to help avert any predatory action by putting the boys before the school’s reputation.
“We’ve already been contacted by Old Boys from a prominent Pietermaritzburg boys school who want to implement similar policies,” said Bell.
On Monday Bell told media in a statement that Gray, a maths teacher and athletics instructor at the school between 1950 and 1980, had sexually assaulted him and that he was not the only one. Bell matriculated in 1964.
Bell said before going public he had received nine affidavits to prove that there was more than one victim.
“Since Monday we have … been notified of possibly another teacher at DHS who taught there in the late 1980s. His modus operandi was to lure the boys to his home after school for extra lessons,” said Bell.
He said he has come under “significant” criticism this week from fellow Old Boys for not coming forward earlier when Gray was alive.
“I bottled this up for 50 years. If anyone had found out back then I might have committed suicide. The school environment was tough. You regularly got canings from any teacher and bullying was rife. Men like Gray were protected and the school’s reputation always came first. It is not easy coming forward like this. Gray was a paedophile and I was one of his victims.”
DHS principal Leon Erasmus and School Governing Body chairperson Justin Paul said the school has revised DHS policy to include providing awareness sessions for pupils, training for staff, all prospective employees and future contractors at DHS to be subject to full criminal checks, a secure tip-off e-mail address and the school will remove any perpetrator’s name from any award or honour offered by the school
Jonathan Erasmus, The Witness
Related: Ex Grey High School teacher prohibited from teaching indefinitelyPieter Grobelaar
