Government ‘never raised a finger’ to protect teachers: Sadtu after KZN shooting

South Africa’s largest teachers union denounced what they said is a lack of protection of teachers by government following a shooting incident that saw a grade R teacher killed in front of pupils and colleagues.

The 46-year-old educator at Phikiswayo Primary School in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), was shot several times on school premises by two unknown assailants on Monday.

The shooters escaped and the woman was declared dead at the scene.  

KZN MEC for Education Sipho Hlomuka condemned the act, saying the department was heartbroken by the tragic loss.

The head of the department also visited the school on Tuesday to extend his condolences.

However, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said the department had done little for teacher safety despite numerous attempts to engage with it.

‘Thuggery and barbarism’

On Tuesday, Sadtu called the killing of its member brutal and inhumane, and said it had traumatised pupils who were in the classroom where the teacher was shot.

“Sadtu hereby condemns this act of thuggery and barbarism and calls for anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of these criminals to come forward and report this to the nearest police station,” a union statement read.

Sadtu commended its regional leadership who it said had rushed to the school to support pupils and staff.

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Memorandum of demands

Sadtu said for the longest time it had been raising the issue of safety, or rather lack thereof, of pupils and education workers in schools to the province’s department of education.

However, the department “never raised even a finger indicating that such is being attended to.

“In our memorandum of demands that was presented to the MEC and premier during our march in October 2023 and was duly received, the matter was on top of the agenda and the Department of Education, working together with the Department of Community Safety and Liaison in the Province, was supposed to act on it with the speed it required.”

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The union said that it had made numerous calls to the department to hold a school safety and security indaba in order to discuss the topic and form programmes to deal with the “pandemic”.

“The Department seems to have a low appetite in attending to this while our members continue to be the subjects of crime and [be the] sacrificial lambs of killers.”

Sadtu called on communities to support its ‘I Am a School Fan’ campaign to raise awareness about safety at school.

It also offered its condolences to the family of the deceased, her colleagues and pupils and vowed to stay in contact with the department to ensure those at the school received support.

Additional reporting by Jarryd Westerdale.