MASERU — A teacher at City International High school in Qoaling who is facing charges of trafficking two women to South Africa has been fired.
Teboho Handy, the principal at the school, told the Lesotho Times this week that the 43-year-old teacher was fired soon after her arrest last month.
Joalane Tšooana was arrested for allegedly trafficking two women aged 22 and 24 into forced marriages in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Tšooana appeared before the Maseru Magistrate’s Court early last month to answer charges of violating the Anti-Trafficking Act of 2011.
She was later released after paying M10 000 bail and is expected back in court soon.
Police said the women were found during a search in Bloemfontein after one of the families made a report.
They told the police that they were threatened by Tšooana and her associates and could not escape because they did not have passports.
Handy said although Tšooana allegedly committed the offences during her spare time when she was not at work the school saw it fit to relieve her of her duties to protect its image.
He also noted that Tšooana’s victims were not students at the school as earlier reports had indicated.
“They are not our students, the reports have created confusion.”
Handy also added that the reports had also got the name of the school where Tšooana was working wrong.
Many people got the wrong impression that the accused was from Lithabaneng High School because reports said she worked for a school in Lithabaneng.
“The actual fact is that she was working for us and she has since been fired.
“We dismissed her soon after she was arrested and appeared in court,” Handy said.
