Johannesburg: A 13-year-old Boy diagnosed with Down Syndrome was raped in a classroom of the special needs school he goes to by a staff that locked him in the room.

The 13-year-old boy reported the incident to his mother and said that one of the staff locked him into a room in the special needs school and sexually abused him.

The incident allegedly happened earlier this month at a special needs school in East Rand, Johannesburg.

The mother of the 13-year-old boy, whose identity was not shared with the public, said her 13-year-old boy was not feeling well and was acting strange when she picked her up that day.

The mother added that she also noticed a strange smell coming out of him. “His eyes were red as if he was crying and when we stepped into the vehicle I noticed a smell emanating from him. As if he didn’t wipe himself properly after using the toilet.”

The mother said that she had to ding her son for over an hour on August 5, 2019.

The mother added, “I was frantic when I didn’t find him where I usually pick him up.”

The mother said a teacher from the school and the vice-principal of the special needs school walked together on the campus while shouting his name with the hopes of him responded.

The mother said a worker from the school then came up towards them and started a conversation with the teacher.

The teacher then said that they were looking for a boy.

The mother said the worker offered help to find his missing son.

The mother mentioned that the worker said that the boy could be “asleep in one of the classrooms.”

She added, “He went to one classroom and unlocked it. It was strange that my son came out immediately – not like someone who was asleep – but like someone who had been up and was waiting for the door to be opened.”

The mother said she didn’t really think much about the incident when it happened as she was happy to find her missing son.

Ramothaki Maqwabe, the chairperson of the police, said that a rape case is registered and an investigation is currently ongoing.

But the mother of the 13-year-old boy isn’t happy with this.

She believes that the school failed to remove the perpetrator from the school and has been allowed to return to work.

The principal of the school also told her that her 13-year-old son would have to spend 3 months away from the special needs school until the investigation gets a conclusion.

The mother of the 13-year-old boy explained, “What upset me was the school’s decision not to suspend the man who did this but told me to keep my son at home until the investigation was finalized. But I reported it to the department [of education] and it intervened. I was then told that my son could return and the worker would be limited to the school’s garden and not around the classrooms.”

The mother continued, “What more do the police need? We gave them a statement and they know exactly who needs to be arrested.”

The 13-year-old boy underwent a test, and the results confirmed that he was raped.

Authorities reported that the worker has been suspended after the incident.

The police are yet to arrest anyone in the case.