Violent attacks on teachers seem to be on the increase in South Africa as yet another teacher was attacked by a Grade 11 pupil and her parents at Setjhaba se Maketse Combined School in Botshabelo on Friday. The teacher sustained injuries and his laptop was damaged during the attack.
While some educators say what is happening to the teachers is a reflection of the violent nature of South African society, there are also unconfirmed reports that the killings could be a result of competition for positions among teachers themselves.
The attack on the Botshabelo teacher comes a few weeks after the brutal killing of a deputy principal, Thembisile Ngendane, who was shot and killed outside Phomolong Secondary School in Tembisa, allegedly by three armed men.
Initial and unconfirmed reports had alleged it was a failed matriculant who shot and killed the teacher.
In June last year, a Finetown primary school principal, Lazarous Baloyi, met a similar fate when he was gunned down on the school premises by an armed man. Baloyi became the third school principal to be executed in the area in just three months.
Education activist Hendrick Makaneta said South Africa seemed to be degenerating into a violent society, and not only in the field of education. The police needed to step in to address the issue of killings.
“The ministry needs to set up a very strong task team that can focus on such killings, with a view to apprehending the perpetrators, but also to crack down on this ongoing issue,” said Makaneta, adding that the number of cases on the ground were not always reported, with the result that the severity of the issue was often underestimated.
“At the end of the day, it boils down to the strategy of the government on how to protect teachers and principals in schools. This is a cause for concern, and as activists we have been calling on the government to clamp down on this (attacks on teachers).
“The issue of policing is a cause for concern. We don't see police on the ground, (and we also note) how unions exacerbate the situation with their tendencies (towards) forwarding their own members for posts.”
Makaneta said there was a basic education law amendment bill that stripped some powers from school governing bodies, so that appointments could be handled by heads of departments.
“But now the unions are also fighting that. They don’t want the power to be taken away from SGBs, and that is not bringing any progress to the issue,” he added.
Sadtu spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said the fraternity was also concerned about the killing of educators, as the country was robbed of nation-builders (teachers), and families of loved ones.
“This issue also affects the functioning of schools, as it leaves both the teachers and learners traumatised. One cannot function optimally if one is traumatised. Since these matters have not been resolved, I cannot speculate that these are due to internal politics.”
When asked if these killings were a result of internal politics, she said: “Commenting on internal politics would be mere speculation, because these matters have not been resolved. I don’t even know where these internal politics emanate from. If it is work dynamics, the employer is obliged to take the lead in resolving the matter.
“Sadtu is taking the issue of security in schools, which includes the safety of teachers, quite seriously. As a union, we impress on the powers that be to offer psychosocial support to teachers and to show how seriously we take this matter.
“Sadtu, in its ninth congress in 2019, launched the ‘I am a School Fan’ campaign, with the objective of raising awareness about violence in schools and coming up with partnerships that will allow us to formulate tangible solutions that will eradicate violence in schools and address the issues that could threaten the future of children in South Africa.
"We feel that the solution lies with all stakeholders in education coming together to rally behind their schools. The stakeholders include government, educators, parents, churches, businesses, NGOs, youth and student organisations, learners, police, and the community at large,” she said.
The Gauteng Department of Education’s acting spokesperson, Oupa Bodibe, said safe schools had been elevated to a strategic priority by the department and the provincial government.
"A ‘war room’ on crime has been established by the provincial government to tackle crime in and around the schools. The community safety department leads the provincial government war room on crime. A number of measures have been implemented, ranging from awareness (campaigns), random searches and discipline for anyone that transgresses the schools’ code of conduct.
"Unfortunately, due the deep-seated nature of violent crime in South Africa, it is impossible to eliminate crime in and around the school.
"That said, the department does not believe in installing metal detectors for several reasons. Most schools in Gauteng function with limited or no incidents. This suggests current measures are effective in the majority of cases. Many incidents occur outside the schoolyard, and metal detectors will not be effective in such situations," he said.
On the issue of job posts, he said: "It is not possible to speculate at this moment that incidents of violence are linked to ‘internal politics’. The police will be requested to provide information regarding the motives that were behind some of the incidents. It would not be wise to speculate on the motive until the facts of each case are established, " he said.
Sunday Independent