Latest news with #SafeSchoolsProtocol
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Waterkloof principal transferred amid witness interference claims
The disciplinary process is being handled by the ELRC, the statutory body responsible for overseeing such hearings. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has precautionarily transferred the principal of Hoërskool Waterkloof amid allegations that he interfered with witnesses during a disciplinary process currently underway against him. In a statement issued on Thursday, the department confirmed that the principal will report to the Tshwane South District Office from Friday, 27 June 2025, while disciplinary proceedings continue. 'He will remain at the district office until the conclusion of the disciplinary proceedings,' GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona said. Ongoing disciplinary process The disciplinary process is being handled by the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), the statutory body responsible for overseeing such hearings. Mabona said the transfer was a necessary step to ensure due process. 'This development forms part of an ongoing disciplinary process stemming from serious allegations of improper conduct previously levelled against the principal,' he said. The department reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring accountability in education leadership. 'We are hopeful that this decision will contribute to a fair process accordingly. The GDE continues to closely monitor this case,' the statement read. ALSO READ: Schools or war zones? Ministers unveil 'Safe Schools Protocol' to end violence Officials suspended This latest action by the department comes days after it suspended two officials over incomplete repairs at Noordgesig Secondary School. The department announced the suspensions on Wednesday, 25 June. These concerns were prompted by the school's lack of readiness, despite previous commitments to make it safe and functional. The GDE confirmed it has launched an internal investigation to uncover the full facts surrounding the failed repairs. 'We will announce the outcome of said investigation once it has been completed,' the department stated. Last year, the fire disrupted learning and raised urgent safety concerns among the school community. In response, the department committed to a series of upgrades to restore functionality and ensure a safe learning environment. The GDE said it remains committed to ensuring accountability and restoring the school infrastructure. 'Subsequently, we will announce the outcome of said investigation once it has been completed.' NOW READ: Officials suspended over stalled repairs at Noordgesig Secondary
eNCA
3 days ago
- eNCA
245 schools flagged as high risk
JOHANNESBURG - Children are not safe at school. This is the problem the Safe Schools Protocol wants to address. It's a collaboration between Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube. It's aimed at creating a safer learning environment and end violence in schools A recent report identified almost 250 Gauteng schools as high-risk. According to the Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube some of this schools are already in hot spots for crime.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- The Citizen
Officials suspended over stalled repairs at Noordgesig Secondary
Officials accused of failing to complete post-fire upgrades as department launches investigation. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has suspended two Infrastructure Unit inspectors over alleged failures to complete urgent repair work at Noordgesig Secondary School in Soweto. The department took swift action on Wednesday, suspending the officials tasked with overseeing reconstruction efforts after a fire severely damaged the school on June 27, 2024. Repairs not completed 'The department had allocated funds for urgent repairs and reconstruction work,' the GDE said in a statement. 'However, it is suspected that repairs might have not been completed, and some of the committed upgrades are suspected to have been partially done or not carried out at all.' According to the department, the suspended inspectors were responsible for monitoring and managing the project. Their suspension follows concerns raised about the state of the school infrastructure nearly a year after the fire. ALSO READ: School closes Friday for three-week break: Educational activities to keep kids busy Internal probe launched The GDE confirmed it has launched an internal investigation to uncover the full facts surrounding the failed repairs. 'We will announce the outcome of said investigation once it has been completed,' the department stated. Last year, the fire disrupted learning and raised urgent safety concerns among the school community. In response, the department committed to a series of upgrades to restore functionality and ensure a safe learning environment. The GDE said it remains committed to ensuring accountability and restoring the school infrastructure. 'Subsequently, we will announce the outcome of said investigation once it has been completed,' it concluded. ALSO READ: Here's how many Gauteng schools damaged by fire have been repaired Fire-damaged schools still need repairs Furthermore, Education MEC Matome Chiloane, in a written response posed in the legislature, confirmed that 29 schools had been damaged by fire since the 2021-22 financial year. Of these 29 schools, six have been repaired by the GDE at a cost of R9.3 million, roughly one per year at an average cost of R15 million per project. However, an additional 10 schools were fixed using funds made available by insurance companies, School Governing Body donations or private sponsors. 13 schools still need repairs and have been handed over to another government department. 'It must be noted that damages were of such a nature that it required extensive work to be done in the affected schools,' stated Chiloane's response. 'In this regard, the work was referred to the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development for implementation,' it explained. NOW READ: Schools or war zones? Ministers unveil 'Safe Schools Protocol' to end violence
Eyewitness News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
'No hotspots': Mchunu promises to heighten police visibility at SA's problem schools
Ntuthuzelo Nene 25 June 2025 | 5:09 South African Police Service (SAPS) Department of Basic Education (DBE) Police Minister Senzo Mchunu (left) and Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube (right) at the launch and signing of the Safe Schools Protocol in Cape Town on 24 June 2025. Picture: Ntuthuzelo Nene/EWN CAPE TOWN - Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has said police visibility around some of the problematic schools in the country will be heightened. Mchunu was speaking at the signing and launch of the Safe Schools Protocol in Cape Town on Tuesday. It's a working agreement between the South African Police Service and the Department of Basic Education to curb the escalating violence in and around some schools in the country. ALSO READ: • Mchunu vows culprits caught extorting schools, attacking teachers will face the music • SA schools won't continue being crime scenes: Ministers Gwarube, Mchunu Teachers being forced to pay money for protection, stabbings and shootings of learners and teachers on school premises, these are just some of the realities experienced at several schools situated in so-called crime hotspot areas. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said this must come to an end. "No hotspots and that's our attitude; there must be no hotspots in South Africa. All spots must be cool and if they are not cool, they must be made cool, and police are there to do so. Nobody wants to live in a hotspot," said Mchunu. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said: "We are tired of having our schools as places not of learning and teaching but as hotspot areas of crime." Police will be deployed to patrol around the 283 schools identified as problematic areas and conduct search and seizure operations if and when there's suspicion of wrongdoing.
IOL News
4 days ago
- IOL News
New Safe Schools Protocol aims to combat violence in classrooms
During a media briefing Basic Education Minister , Siviwe Gwarube, and Police Minister Senzo Mcunu said rude and violent learners will no longer be tolerated in classrooms. Image: Genevieve Serra/Independent Newspapers Going back to basics to where rude or violent learners inside the classroom will not be tolerated, and protecting teachers and vetting them against the sexual predators list. There are the strategies put forward, following the joint launch of the Collaborative Implementation Protocol on School Safety by the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, together with Minister of Police Police, Senzo Mchunu, on Tuesday. The Safe Schools Protocol aims to tackle the alarming rates of violence, crime, and insecurity prevalent in schools. SAPS data for the 2023/24 financial year highlighted 28 murders within basic education institutions, with nearly half occurring in KwaZulu-Natal and 46% involving learner-on-learner violence. Additionally, two-thirds of reported rapes in schools involved learner-on-learner violence, while over 11 000 burglaries were recorded. The protocol is set to emphasise shared responsibility, integrating stakeholders such as civil society organisations, parents, school governing bodies, and learners into the safety ecosystem. Mchunu said they identified 283 schools nationally that were located in hotspots and that visible policing would be beefed-up in those communities. He said SAPS would also build a relationship with the school body. Gwarube outlined five key commitments to the safer schools strategy, which aimed at strengthening safety for both learners and teachers. She said each school would be connected with its local police station and be supported by a School Safety Committee which will be comprised of the principal, School Governing Body and a police officer. A crime prevention programme is expected to be rolled-out to focus on gender based violence and to cyber bullying, among others. Police will also be deployed at hotspot schools, while the process of vetting will be improved and the National Sexual Offenders Registry made available. Gwarube said principals would be educated on what to do next when there was an incident of violence or whether a teacher was found to be on the wrong side of the law. The media raised the question that teachers were becoming victims of learners and they were even being extorted.
