Mchunu says there is a high rate of violence in schools, most particularly in the KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Western Cape provinces. Mchunu, together with Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, signed a joint Safe Schools Protocol in the city of Cape Town to ensure safety at schools.

“We don’t want to see children turning violent against each other, instead of being protective. Well, violence we do experience it throughout the Republic. But there are four particular provinces that are a worry. And we would want to share this with everybody out there so that when we deploy resources and all that. And even our eyes and ears. We take particular note, that Gauteng, KZN, Eastern Cape and Western Cape are major sponsors of violence. And criminality in general, in the country,” Mchunu said.

The country’s Department of Basic Education says alarming levels of violence at schools, such as rape and murder, have necessitated the move.  Gwarube says safety committees will be formed involving all sectors of the schooling community.

“Over and above signing this, me and him will go around the country, to make sure this kind of coordination is happening, from principle to station commander to create a culture of collaboration because if we want to bring the incidents down, we will have to make sure collaboration is happening in earnest,” Gwarube said.

Police statistics for the 2023/24 financial year, indicate that 28 murders took place at schools, nearly half being learner-on-learner violence. In addition, two thirds of reported rapes in schools involved learner-on-learner violence. Mchunu says violence at schools will not be tolerated, “They include bringing to school drugs, and usage thereof by small children, carrying illegal firearms, incidents of extortion, incidents of rape, and incidents of extortion and hence we are here to say, no, to that.”

--SABC--