Pupils in Gauteng have complained to the provincial legislature that the programmes initiated by social development, education and community safety departments are not being implemented in their schools.
On Tuesday, education and community safety portfolio committees met hundreds of pupils from across Gauteng to get their views as to how relevant provincial departments can improve school safety.
Before the pupils voiced their concerns, presentations were made by departments of social development, education and community safety.
These departments boasted that there were regular searches at schools, community patrollers deployed and anti-bullying boxes were introduced for those who want to report bullying anonymously.
Tshepiso Moagi, a pupil at the Hoërskool Die Burger in Roodepoort, was the first to dismiss the implementation of programmes to improve school safety
“I’d like to oppose the entire presentation. Nothing like that happens in our school. All that you have said we don’t know. We don’t see community patrollers visiting our school. We don’t have the anti-bullying box.
“We ask that you involve the RCL (representative council for learners) of schools more ... We know the problems that we face in our schools,” Moagi said.
Nkanyezi Thabethe, regional chairperson of Cosas in Greater Johannesburg and a pupil at Curtis Nkondo School of Specialisation in Soweto, complained that the programmes to improve safety were not focused on teachers.
“Nowhere in the presentations have the departments spoken about teachers. It is very alarming. Teachers must be trained on how to speak to learners. We are not their enemies. We are learners that need to be guided to become leaders of society. We also ask that the student be part of the development of the code of conduct in schools,” Thabethe said.
Codes of conduct are developed by schools and impact on the safety at the school.
Thabethe urged government to ensure that schools have sanitary towels for girls.
“You can go to a clinic and you will find condoms. Sex is a choice, but periods are not ... The failure of government to provide pads for me as a learner is a violation of my right to learn,” Thabethe said.
We have realised some of the schools need more than just patrollers, so we will deploy security guards in those schools to protect property and people.
— Oupa Bodibe, deputy director-general of support in the Gauteng education department
The portfolio committees of education and community safety met the pupils at Gold Reef City in Johannesburg as part of a focus intervention study on the state of school safety in Gauteng.
In February, Tumelo Jily, 17, a grade 7 pupil in Sebokeng, was stabbed by another pupil at school and died in hospital the same day. The attack brought into focus safety problems in Gauteng schools.
A study by the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance showed that in 2021, two thirds of schools in Gauteng had experienced burglary in that year.
Researchers found that most schools do not have functional safety and security committees.
The study found that drug abuse is rampant in most high schools in Gauteng and pupil pregnancy was a huge challenge.
It also found that there was an emergence of drug peddling and sexual abuse of pupils by scholar transporters.
School violence and bullying was rampant at Gauteng schools, the study showed.
Oupa Bodibe, deputy director-general of support in the Gauteng education department, said the department had introduced 500 pupil support agents in schools as an early warning mechanism and peer counselling to support 1,200 schools.
He said pupils had been given the Childline 116 number which they can dial for free when they need to speak to a counsellor.
Bodibe said the department was improving safety features at schools by addressing access control, perimeter fencing, and assisting patrollers from the Gauteng department of community safety.
“We have realised some of the schools need more than just patrollers, so we will deploy security guards in those schools to protect property and people,” Bodibe said.
He said the anti-bullying boxes have been introduced to enable pupils to report problems without worrying about being identified.
“The box will be picked-up by the department and taken to social workers who will decide the required intervention,” he said.
A total of 75 schools across the 15 districts of Gauteng are at risk in terms of safety.
“We’ve looked at the number of incidents being reported, the crime statistics ... the point is to make sure that these schools get more attention. They are part of 245 schools identified as being at high risk.
“At these schools we are deploying security guards, hand-held metal detectors and we will be rolling out e-panic buttons to staff. Patrols by crime prevention wardens have been initiated in the wards where they have been placed,” Bodibe said.
Business Against Crime has installed CCTV cameras at 28 schools in the 15 districts. These will be linked to the provincial integrated command centre once it is operational.
Bodibe said these interventions will be increased at the 245 schools.
The department is working with social development on the Ke Moja programme aimed at raising drug awareness.
Bodibe said 350 pupils had died in Gauteng this year, of which 40 were through suicide.
The education department works with social development to provide 120 social workers that service more than 2,000 schools in the province.
Mmemme Makane-Sibanda, chief director for oversight on law enforcement in the Gauteng department of community safety, said law enforcement searches in schools had worked.
“We believe that our searches disrupt criminal activity in the school environment as we confiscate dangerous weapons and drugs. We confiscate knives, packets of dagga and other drugs. During these searches, learners are always found with dangerous weapons.
“We use SAPS sniffer dogs. Parents need to be encouraged to also make sure that they search those school bags regularly, so that we are not surprised once kids are found with stuff at school. There are learners who smuggle guns into school and when there are feuds, those are used,” Makane-Sibanda said.
Her department conducts school talks and facilitates visits from convicts to raise awareness about consequences of criminal activities.
It also deploys patrollers and crime prevention wardens who visit schools across the province.
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