School backs ex-mayor’s killer
|Published
Gareth Thomas, who murdered former Durban mayor Mike Lipschitz , will continue teaching at Futura High School in Umbilo. Gareth Thomas, who murdered former Durban mayor Mike Lipschitz , will continue teaching at Futura High School in Umbilo.
Durban - Gareth Thomas, the man who murdered former Durban mayor Mike Lipschitz and, after parole, secured a teaching post at Futura High School in Umbilo without his employers knowing about his criminal record has been allowed to continue teaching at the school.
Thomas, who changed his first name to Daniel after being released on parole in 2010, eight years after being convicted, was working as a life skills teacher when a Sunday newspaper recently broke the news of his past.
The school was not aware of his criminal background and this past weekend debated whether to retain his services.
Principal Roger Owen told The Mercury on Monday that Thomas would be allowed to continue with his fixed-term contract for this year.
“With the majority of pupils writing Grade 12, we are currently completing the syllabus and entering the final phase of the matric exam preparations for 2013. The school prefers to keep disruptions to a minimum at this stage and has decided to allow Mr Thomas to continue with his contract while closely monitoring the life skills programme for any negative influence arising from his history.
“It was also noted that Daniel is now a father, a married man and a committed Christian who has furthered his studies and is no longer the same 18-year-old youth he once was.”
Owen added he had taken Thomas’s classes at the beginning of last week and explained the situation to the pupils, inviting input and feedback.
More than 80 percent of the pupils had asked that Thomas be allowed to complete the life skills programme with them “as they believe they have benefited significantly from his input to date”.
“Parents were invited to contact the principal if they had any concerns.”
No negative feedback or concern had been received from parents, and concerned citizens and academics – including principals of other schools – had expressed support for Thomas.
Thomas “continued with the programme at the end of last week explaining to the pupils about choices and consequences and the dangers of drug addiction, which is in line with the programme’s goals of helping the pupils cope with the myriad social and economic challenges they face coming from disadvantaged backgrounds”, Owen said.
Thomas’s attorney, Keith Mothilall, said Thomas was “elated” at the news, as the decision could have gone either way.
Although he was confident that, even if he had lost his job, he would be all right, Mothilall said he was relieved at the news, especially as he had a young child.
bronwyn.fourie@inl.co.za
The Mercury
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