A teachers’ union has appealed to the Department of Basic Education to tighten security at schools across the country, saying both teachers and learners were increasingly being targeted by criminals.

Teachers report increasing incidents of crime in schools

According to the executive director of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), Basil Manuel, many teachers nationwide have reported incidents of school violence to the union. He said in many cases these incidents occurred on school premises, and teachers were often afraid to open cases for fear of harassment.

“There are a lot of teachers coming forward and telling us they have been robbed at school. However, these cases are mostly anecdotal. Some have been reported to the Department of Basic Education as incidents of school violence, where the department has protocols with law enforcement. But we know officers cannot be present at every school,” Manuel added that similar cases had been reported across various provinces.

Fear of reporting cases to authorities

He further stated that formal complaints are often not opened with the police. Instead, the union engages with school principals, who are themselves at risk in many instances. Manuel explained that items stolen during robberies at schools are rarely recovered, even when incidents are reported to the authorities.

“We are often advised not to open cases due to fears that it may escalate the situation. We engage with school principals because they are in a very difficult position. If they give in to extortion criminals may return the following week demanding more. And if equipment is stolen the department advises them to report it, but this does not guarantee replacement.”

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Impact of school violence in South Africa on learners and educators

He said violence at schools had far-reaching consequences, as teachers often leave affected schools in search of safer working environments, leaving learners at a disadvantage.

“Most good teachers will leave these schools and move to better, safer ones. That means both the school and the community suffer. The solution lies in the department, schools, communities and police working together to find a sustainable solution.”

Manuel also noted that some communities were effectively held hostage by gang activity. According to reports from teachers criminals sometimes forced elderly residents and churches to store drugs, believing these locations are less likely to be searched by police.

Western Cape Education Department response to school safety concerns

Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said crime is a societal issue that can sometimes affect school communities. She emphasised that the safety of learners, teachers and staff remained top priority.

However, she said claims that a teacher was being targeted every day were not accurate in the context of the Western Cape, although any incident remained a cause for concern.

“While we acknowledge that the WCED has a role to play in ensuring the safety of teachers and learners, the responsibility for law enforcement cannot rest solely on the department, schools, principals, or teachers. We need the assistance of police, community policing forums, the justice system, and community organisations. We all have a role to play,” said Hammond.

Addressing extortion, Hammond stated the department would not tolerate any unlawful threats against schools.

“Our schools do not pay protection fees and will not accede to such demands or threats made by any individual or group. The WCED Safe Schools call centre has not received any reports of extortion for the 2025-’26 period. If the union can provide the names of affected schools we can investigate further.”

She encouraged schools to report any allegations of extortion to their nearest police station

Hammond added that the WCED would continue to implement programmes aimed at improving school safety, noting that R72,7 million had been allocated this year for this purpose.

The WCED has implemented several strategies to address school violence, including:

This involves building relationships among parents, learners and the broader school community, including after-school and holiday programmes. It also entails training teachers, parents and learners to identify and address aggressive behaviour, providing access to social workers and educational psychologists for psychosocial support, strengthening accountable school management, giving learners a voice in appropriate school structures, promoting transparency and trust among learners, staff and communities, and fostering a human-rights culture in schools.

Anti-bullying and psychosocial support programmes

She said workshops and training programmes had focused on areas such as the National School Safety Framework, occupational health and safety, anti-bullying initiatives, conflict resolution and peer mediation as well as substance-abuse awareness and non-invasive drug testing.

Fencing, alarms, and access control systems

Safe Schools officials continued to work closely with schools and partners across sectors to implement safety plans. These included security infrastructure such as perimeter fencing, electronic access control, burglar bars, metal detectors and alarm systems linked to armed-response services.

“We assist schools in developing and implementing tailored safety plans and help mobilise community support. Safe Schools also engages regularly with school-safety clusters within education districts to address specific needs,” Hammond said.

She added that the Western Cape Government is working across departments to address the complex social challenges affecting communities and schools.

Hammond also reminded the public that they can report such crimes anonymously via the City of Cape Town’s tip-off line on 0800 11 00 77.