WATCH | Classroom brawls that shocked us in 2018
In a recent video doing the rounds on social media, a pupil from Kimberley Boys' High School is seen taunting his female teacher in front of his classmates.
While the video has received widespread condemnation, the cheers and laughs of children in the background has also raised eyebrows.
The grade 9 pupil, who is seen holding a water bottle at the start of the confrontation, later sprays water from that bottle on the teacher's face.
The Northern Cape Department of Education confirmed that it is aware of the incident which happened a week ago.
"This type of behaviour is unacceptable and parents must fulfill their primary responsibility to inculcate good values and norms in their children," said education spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe.
The scholar now faces disciplinary action.
2018 has not been a good year for teachers in South African classrooms. Here are other incidents that have made headlines.
The notebook attack
A video posted on YouTube in March shows a learner from a Vaal school walking up from her desk with an exercise book in hand. The learner purposefully walks towards the teacher standing at the front of the class and slams the book at her.
Bring back our phones
Footage of two girls assaulting a teacher outside a school believed to be in Limpopo came to light in June.
This two-on-one attack was reportedly sparked by an incident that happened earlier in the classroom when the teacher confiscated a cellphone belonging to one of the students.
The caption on the original YouTube post claims that the teacher had taken the phone because the learner had been "chatting and playing music in class."
The Lenasia classroom fondling incident
In August, a teacher at the Lenasia South Secondary School had a day from hell trying to fend off a grade 10 male pupil who was relentlessly harassing and insulting him.
In the minute-long video, a learner is seen stroking the teacher's chin and later fondling the male teacher's behind.
The education department in Gauteng confirmed that the troublesome pupil was suspended and faced disciplinary action.
South African teachers can breathe a sigh of relief as the school year draws to end but there is no telling if local classrooms will be any safer in the coming year.