The Department of Basic Education acknowledged growing concerns regarding threats, intimidation, and violence against educators, but stated that it lacks a separate national strategy focused exclusively on the safety of education workers.
This statement came amid warnings from teachers' unions that educators are increasingly facing physical violence, verbal abuse, and threats, with some being forced to leave the profession due to hostile working conditions.
DBE clarified that the issue of teacher safety is addressed within the broader architecture of school safety, which includes the National School Safety Framework Program (NSSF) and an enhanced Joint Implementation Protocol with the South African Police Service (SAPS).
A DBE representative, Terence Hala, noted that this framework provides a nationwide approach to countering threats affecting both students and teachers.
Hala emphasized that teacher safety is viewed within the context of the Department's overall national school safety architecture, rather than through a standalone strategy. He explained that the primary tool is the National School Safety Framework Program, which ensures a uniform national approach to identifying, preventing, managing, and monitoring threats of violence and crime affecting students, teachers, and other members of the school community.
This response followed recent reports of increased safety issues in schools after police operations in Gauteng uncovered dangerous weapons and suspected illicit substances in educational institutions. Items seized included knives, vapes, cigarettes, broken glass, scissors, grinders, matches, lighters, and suspected substances such as nyaope, spice, and cannabis.
The Minister of Education for Gauteng, Lebogan Mabile, reported that searches found students with several packs of cannabis, raising concerns about the potential spread of drugs in schools. However, the threats faced by teachers go beyond what the police discover in school bags.
In the North Zambia province, an incident that went viral at Battlehaping High School in Dr Rut Segomotsi Mompati district, where a student allegedly recorded insulting and verbally humiliating a male teacher, further highlighted issues with student discipline and teacher safety. The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) in this province stated that this case is a symptom of a wider problem.
Sadtu asserted that it is impossible to expect effective performance of professional duties from an educator if they are subjected to threats, insults, intimidation, or violence. The union insists that the safety and dignity of teachers must be considered a fundamental prerequisite for quality education.
Dems Nel, head of the legal department of the SAOU Teachers' Union Legal Services, reported that the union has recorded a surge in cases of verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, and physical violence against teachers. He noted that this trend is accompanied by inaction from the department, which in turn leads to a further increase in such incidents in schools. Nel called this a completely unacceptable and unreasonable demand for educators to work in such hostile environments.
He also stressed that the problem is no longer limited to specific provinces or schools. According to Nel, teachers face numerous threats, intimidation, and physical harassment from students, their parents, the Department of Education, and governing bodies. He added that this phenomenon has become more widespread across all provinces of the country.
Nel reported that the union is receiving increasing requests from teachers seeking help in combating threatening behavior. He noted that the situation has reached a point where they are overwhelmed with member requests for daily assistance or guidance on dealing with such behavior. Ultimately, some teachers have decided to leave the profession because they found the working conditions unbearable.
In response to these concerns, Hala stated that schools must have functioning School Safety Committees, conduct safety risk assessments, identify emerging threats, and develop school-specific safety plans. He also noted that schools experiencing high levels of violence or criminal activity should receive support measures based on their individual risk profile.
Hala explained that the Department's approach recognizes that schools do not face the same level or type of risks. For example, a school affected by banditry requires a different support package than a school experiencing sporadic disciplinary incidents. Therefore, safety planning must be based on the school's own risk profile, incident data, and the conditions in the surrounding community.
Potential measures may include strengthening access control, improving incident reporting, closer cooperation with local police stations and public safety structures. Infrastructure interventions, such as installing fences, reinforcing windows, and alarms, may also be part of the response.