Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Gauteng department of education has been urged to not treat schools as isolated institutions but to rather involve the wider community when it comes to its safety programmes.
This as pupils highlight the critical role played by surrounding communities in keeping learning institutions safe.
The departments of social development, education and community safety have initiated a variety of safety measures, specifically targeting 75 schools identified as being at risk when it came to safety. Some of those listed include:
Qalabotsha Secondary School;
Boksburg High School;
Geluksdal; and
East Bank High School.
The department of education had last year implemented a variety of measures at these schools and others. Spokesperson Steve Mabona said these had “yielded positive results in learner behaviour and significantly reduced cases of burglary.
“The department [had] distributed hand-held metal detectors, first-aid kits, fire extinguishers and emergency evacuation signs to all identified high-risk schools. Fire-fighting training was also provided.
“Initially these schools had four patrollers each, of which we subsequently added four guards, two during the day and two at night. Some schools have since had their security upgraded through the installation of CCTV cameras, a donation from Business Against Crime,” the department said.
Late last year, pupils at some of these schools and others with similar issues opened up on the effectiveness of these initiatives and how the department can improve on them.
Issues they flagged included gangsterism, drugs and gambling.
TimesLIVE spoke to one pupil at Curtis Nkondo School of Specialisation in Soweto and the regional chairperson of Cosas in Greater Johannesburg, Nkanyezi Thabethe.
Thabethe was present at a school safety presentation hosted by the education and community safety committees in September 2023.
Realistically, what they can do is have more implementation and more involvement of the environment around us, our schools, because that’s where safety starts. Safety starts within the community where those schools are situated
Nkanyezi Thabethe, Cosas
She explained the situation at her school, and measures put in place to try to make it safer.
“We do have [these measures], but they are not efficient or working as their intended purpose.
“We have patrollers at school… who patrol the school grounds. But we still have cases of violent outbreaks, gambling and drug possession.”
These issues were not only restricted to her school but neighbouring schools as well as those that fall under the greater Joburg region.
Thabethe said other pupils had complained that the department had made promises but had failed to deliver on these.
Another pupil from Qalabotsha said: “There are measures taken, and the community is very supportive, so at least we can say we are safe for now because there’s this gangsterism that has been there for a very long time and it’s not addressed.”
On what the department can do to effectively address these issues, Thabethe said: “Realistically, what they can do is have more implementation and more involvement of the environment around us, our schools, because that’s where safety starts. Safety starts within the community where those schools are situated.
“I think that the department has isolated schools [to such a point that] they are just institutions and not organs of the community. Because what’s happening in the school is a direct reflection of what’s happening outside.”
She also called on teachers to “start actualising these measures” put in place by the department. This includes completing logbooks recording incidents at school as instructed by the department.
Adding to this was JE Secondary School pupil and Pan Africanist Student Organisation (Paso) Tsakane chairperson Thulani Mahlangu, who detailed the challenges at his school and Geluksdal, where Paso has a heavy presence.
Geluksdal was in the spotlight in 2023 due to numerous reports of gang violence at the school. In one incident, grade 10 pupil Shawn Mphela was stabbed to death when a group of boys got involved in a fight after school.
The fight was reportedly sparked by three grade 10 boys who started to pepper spray others during school hours.
Mahlangu said gangsterism remained prevalent at that school. He said hardly anything had been done at the end of last year to improve safety there. This was in stark contrast to the situation at his own school, where they had experienced gangsterism in the past.
“It was an issue, but at least it was resolved after parents and community got involved. The department also sent the crime prevention wardens to do searches at school,” he said.
The biggest challenge facing the school, he said, was poor infrastructure.
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