Gauteng Legislature to work on school safety plan

The Gauteng Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety says the committee is putting together a Focus Intervention Study (FIS) report on the implementation of school safety regulations which it will present to the Provincial Legislature.

This, after numerous political parties, including RISE Mzansi, expressed concern over the fact that more than 200 incidents of rape at schools were seen between January and September last year.

RISE Mzansi called upon the national government to prioritise school safety, urging both the president and the minister of Basic Education to give special attention to this issue in the current year.

ALSO READ: School safety remains a priority for SAPS

Last year, the Democratic Alliance asked the Gauteng Department of Education to establish an integrated safety approach inclusive of School Governing Bodies and the community.

Sporadic incidents of crime

The committee acknowledged that in recent years, teachers at different Gauteng schools have had to contend with sporadic incidents of crime, substance use and violence among pupils.

“In other instances, adult intruders gained access into the schools, which threatened the safety of all on the premises given the perpetrators’ unknown intentions for entering the schools,” it said.

The committee said it was thereby exercising proactive oversight on all role players in the education system for optimum safety at Gauteng schools.

“We [are] working collaboratively with relevant Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) departments, law enforcement agencies, communities, and other relevant role players. Our committee will oversee that all necessary measures are put in place to ensure the safety of teachers and learners at all school across the province,” Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Dr Bandile Masuku, promised.

ALSO READ: South African schools are like a war zone, says Rise Mzansi

Raped at school

In November last year, a Grade 11 pupil at a Mpumalanga school was unable to take her examination as she had allegedly been raped by a security guard before the start of the school day.

According to police reports, on the fateful day, she had been the first to arrive at school to prepare for her examinations when the security guard visited her class and said he was searching for a suspect who was attempting to break in.

Police said he abandoned her in the classroom and came back wielding an iron rod. According to the victim, the security guard directed her to accompany him, forcibly tugged at her clothing, and threatened to hurt her with the iron rod if she uttered a sound.

Additional reporting by: Chulumanco Mahamba