● A teacher at the centre of a sex investigation at an elite Cape Town boys’ school has pulled out all the stops to control the damage caused by the uploading of explicit pictures and videos on pornography websites.
Lawyer Emma Sadleir, who specialises in social media and internet law, told the Sunday Times she had been hired by people close to Fiona Viotti, 32, to trace the person who uploaded the material and have it removed.
Viotti, who taught history at Bishops and was the teacher in charge of water polo, resigned and left the school on October 11, and Sadleir said she was not coping well with the attention she had attracted. “I can’t talk about it, but she is not good,” Sadleir said.
Viotti’s lawyer, William Booth, told The Times in London that his client was “emotionally traumatised”, but said reports that more than 40 boys had come forward were “wild exaggeration” and insisted his client had committed no crime.
“I don’t believe any student, whether it was one or more, was under the age of 16 at the time of their involvement,” Booth said.
He told the Sunday Times Viotti had not left the country, as suggested by the Weekend Argus, but declined to comment on “the merits of the matter”, adding: “The school must complete its investigation … During this time, it is imperative that [Viotti’s] privacy and dignity is respected.”
Bishops head Guy Pearson said the school acted as soon as it heard of the allegations against Viotti last Thursday, and she left within a day.
He was responding to a question from the Sunday Times about a tip-off the newspaper received on September 11 that Viotti was under investigation.
It is understood the parents of the pupil whose alleged affair with the teacher sparked the inquiry are happy with the way the school handled the matter.
Other parents at the school said this week they were shocked by the allegations against a teacher widely described as “quiet, sweet and kind”.
Pearson did not respond to reports that up to 43 boys would be questioned by the attorneys and senior counsel the school has appointed to investigate.
“We have confirmed that there have been several boys who have been affected over a number of years,” he said.
Bishops has made psychologists and psychiatrists available to any boy or family
member who requests them.
Viotti has yet to be interviewed by investigators, Booth told The Times. “Everybody has their view and is speculating, but there is no suggestion of coercion or wrongdoing,” he said.
“I will be advising my client about protecting her legal rights and own interests at the appropriate time when it comes to cooperating with the school’s investigation.”
Viotti is the daughter of former Springbok coach Nick Mallett’s 61-year-old brother, Dave, who is the teacher in charge of rugby at Bishops. In a letter to parents on Monday, Dave Mallett said he would not resign from Bishops, where he is head of Founders House.
“I’ve just met with the lads to say that, as far as possible, I need them to keep their heads down (don’t tiptoe around me!) and try to adopt a business as usual approach,” he said. “Obviously Fiona’s health and safety is our priority right now and we will be doing all we can to help her pull through this.”
Booth said there would be no comment on behalf of Mallett.
Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on basic education, said the South African Council of Educators had told MPs about an increase in the number of women teachers having relationships with pupils.
“At that meeting, [the council] was clear that irrespective of how small the age gap between a learner and an educator might be, there is a line that should not be crossed. He remains a learner and she remains an educator,” she said.
Lucy Jamieson, a senior researcher at the University of Cape Town’s Children’s Institute, said the pupil whose alleged relationship with Viotti led to her resignation was 18. “But there may be other people who are involved and if any of them are younger than 16 then you could be looking at criminal allegations. You have got to be able to manage the space for children to feel free to come forward.”
Education expert Jonathan Jansen said schools could learn from what had happened at Bishops. “I do think there is some value in schools having very explicit sessions in which people are told on a regular basis what is acceptable and what is not.”
We have confirmed that there have been several boys who have been affected over a number of years Guy Pearson Bishops principal
Obviously Fiona’s health and safety is our priority right now and we will be doing all we can to help her pull through this Dave Mallett Viotti’s father