The story of a teenage couple at Nombulelo Secondary School who recently made a cell phone video of themselves having sex is becoming all too familiar, according to the school's principal.
The story of a teenage couple at Nombulelo Secondary School who recently made a cell phone video of themselves having sex is becoming all too familiar, according to the school's principal.
When the video later went viral online the girl, 17, claimed that she had not consented to the intercourse or the filming and opened a case of rape. Grahamstown police spokesperson, Mali Govender, said an investigation had determined that she had consented.
Police have organised awareness campaigns with high schools in the area. At a special assembly at Nombulelo last Thursday, police and teachers talked to the pupils about the role of cell phones in crime, with an emphasis on sexual violence.
“The pornographic content is still a violation of the Sexual Offences Act and there are criminal consequences,” Govender said.
Nombulelo principal Mthuthuzeli Koliti said, “Our attempt was to make the pupils aware that this type of thing is very dangerous; they must take ownership of their bodies and make the right decisions.”
Peer validation
According to Koliti the girl is associated with a group that encourages this sort of cellphone activity. He thinks cellphones are at the heart of the problem, with pupils making and sharing “sexy videos” to gain popularity.
“The boy was probably treated like a hero because he ‘scored’,” he said.
The boy's phone is currently being investigated at a special unit for cyber-crime in East London.
