South Africa, Thursday, 10 April 2025 - Nal'ibali commends the courage and bravery of the young children from Bram-Fischer Primary School who came forward to report a sexual violation act against them committed by a Reading Club Facilitator that took place during a reading club session at their school. We also applaud the swift action taken by their parents in reporting the alleged perpetrator to the authorities.

The accused has been with the organisation since February 2023 working as a Literacy Facilitator and a Story-Sparker at the same school until his suspension. His duties involved reading, storytelling and conducting various reading club activities for the foundation phase learners at the school.

At Nal'ibali, we adhere to stringent vetting processes for all prospective employees and volunteers to ensure the utmost safety of children in our care. The employee in question underwent the same thorough background checks, which did not reveal any prior criminal record or violations. All hired employees are inducted on our Child Protection policy, and our zero-tolerance policy for any misconduct involving children.

Danielle Piet, Nal’ibali’s Human Resources Manager said, “As part of our vetting process, all prospective employees are subject to a criminal record check prior to confirmation of employment. Existing employees of Nal’ibali may also be required to undergo a criminal record check at any given time during their employment, as and when it is required by the organisation.”

Our Child Protection Policy explicitly forbids any staff member from being alone with a child or group of children without the presence of a teacher or another trusted adult. The perpetrator knowingly violated this rule in our policy for his own gratification and to purposefully harm children that he was meant to educate and protect. His actions are deeply condemned and in complete opposition to our mission of safeguarding and empowering children through literacy.

“As Nal’ibali’s Child Protection Officer, I want to reassure everyone that the safety and well-being of children is at the heart of all we do. This betrayal by one individual is devastating and not reflective of our values. We are addressing this matter with the utmost seriousness and strengthening our safeguarding measures to ensure every space we create for children is safe, caring, and empowering”, said Sibongiseni Blose, Nal’ibali Child Protection Officer.

In this case, we demand the full force of the law to be applied, as we will always believe and prioritise the well-being of children under our care. Nal'ibali stands firmly against any form of child abuse and will continue to advocate for the protection of children's rights and safety.

Press release ends.

About Nal’ibali
Nal’ibali (isiXhosa for “here’s the story”) is a national reading-for-enjoyment campaign. It seeks to spark and embed a culture of reading in children from birth to 12 years of age, across South Africa, through cultivating, enticing reading content in all South African languages. Nal'ibali promotes the use of home languages in nurturing and strengthening reading culture in children as home language is transparent, easy to learn and is the first language that children connect with, in order to socialise and make sense of the world around them.

For more information, please contact:

Ms Sibongiseni Blose
Nal’ibali | Child Protection Officer and Social Worker
Mobile: +27 (0) 66 486 9434
E-Mail: sibongiseni@nalibali.org

Ms Danielle Piet
Nal’ibali | Human Resources Manager
Mobile: +27 (0) 67 921 2018
Email: danielle@nalibali.org