Johannesburg – A Hyde Park High School teacher accused of sending a naked picture of himself to a pupil appeared briefly in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

His case was postponed to 22 January and he was released on R2 000 bail. He has been charged with exposure or display of pornography.

He was arrested in August following allegations that he sent a nude picture of himself to one of his 16-year-old pupils.

According to reports, the teacher engaged in a late-night WhatsApp chat with the boy’s mother on 30 July, thinking it was him.

The teacher allegedly sent numerous sexual images and made sexual suggestions.

It was alleged that in one of the pictures the man was sitting naked in a bathtub.

The boy’s mother laid a criminal charge against him.

When the allegations surfaced, the Gauteng education department reportedly said it had launched an independent investigation into the incident.

“The teacher is suspended,” education department spokesperson Gershwin Chuenyane said.

– SAPA