In Soweto, a 30-year-old mathematics teacher has been arrested and remanded in custody on charges of assault and sexual harassment after searching a 16-year-old student’s genital area in front of the entire class while looking for her missing iPhone. The phone was later found… in the staff toilets.
The accusation that escalated in minutes
It all began a few days ago in a packed classroom. Deliwe Chantel Phehli, 30, noticed that her iPhone 13 had gone missing. Without any evidence, she immediately accused 16-year-old Grade 10 student Denzel Mhlongo of stealing it.
In front of dozens of classmates, the teacher grabbed the teenager by the neck, violently searched his pockets, then grabbed his genitals, claiming she was looking for the phone. The search turned up nothing.
Shortly afterward, the device was found exactly where the teacher herself had left it: in the toilets of the staff block.
Three days missing and a dramatic return
Traumatized and humiliated, Denzel left the school without telling anyone and disappeared for nearly three days. The entire Soweto community mobilized: posters on lampposts, WhatsApp groups, and a reward offered by the family.
On Thursday afternoon, a street vendor recognized the boy from the alerts, put him in a taxi, and brought him home. He left with the 100,000-rand reward.
The mother – a senior education official – files a complaint immediately
Once home, Denzel finally told his mother what had happened. His mother, Lorretta Mhlongo, is a district director at the Gauteng Department of Education. Devastated, she went straight to the police station and filed charges of assault and sexual harassment.
Less than 24 hours later, on Friday morning, Deliwe Chantel Phehli was arrested at the school, handcuffed, and led away in full view of students and parents.
Reaction from authorities and police
Police spokesperson Captain Solomon Ngcobo: “This is not a simple misunderstanding. We are dealing with an alleged sexual violation against a minor by a person in a position of trust. Touching a child in this way is never acceptable. Prison is the only realistic outcome.”
The State will request that she remain in custody until her first court appearance.
The Gauteng Department of Education has suspended the teacher with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Parents’ anger and students’ shock
On Friday, parents gathered outside the school gates (the school’s name is being withheld to protect the victim). A Grade 10 student, speaking anonymously: “We all just froze. Nobody dared move. It was so wrong, but she was the teacher…”
The South African teachers’ union has distanced itself, stating that any proven misconduct will not be defended.
Next step: the courtroom
Deliwe Chantel Phehli is scheduled to appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Monday. That is when the full testimony of young Denzel and all the details of the charges will be made public for the first time.
The community is now waiting for justice to send a clear message: no adult – not even in front of a classroom – is above the law when it comes to protecting children.
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