Are our children safe? 9 sexual offenders caught through vetting in Gauteng public schools
19 November 2024
Schools are meant to be safe havens where learners can thrive and focus on their education. However, in Gauteng, learners are alarmingly being exposed to sexual offenders and predators within their school environments.
During a presentation by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Education Portfolio Committee, it was revealed that out of the 86,367 employees in Gauteng public schools, 8,782, or 10.2%, have been vetted against the National Register for Sexual Offences (NRSO). Among those vetted, nine employees were identified as convicted sexual offenders. They include four primary school teachers, four general assistants, and one food handler.
The presentation further revealed that of the 86,367 (GDE) employees, only 33,251 have complied with the directive to submit their details (including fingerprints) for vetting. Out of these, only 13,386 have been submitted to SAPS for a SAPS69i report. This report is a system-generated document from SAPS indicating whether the applicant has convictions or pending cases.
See the presentation here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has previously expressed concern over the GDE’s failure to vet more than 95% of teachers in our schools. Regrettably, our concerns have not received the attention they deserve.
The discovery that nine school employees have prior convictions for sexual offences is worrying and confirms that our schools are far from safe. This situation also suggests that there may be more sexual offenders in our schools interacting with our learners due to the GDE's failure to prioritise vetting.
The GDE has failed our learners, some of whom may have become victims of these offenders who should not have been allowed near our learners in the first place. Furthermore, without proper vetting, teachers and employees who may have been accused or convicted of misconduct could easily move to a different province and continue teaching there, putting learners elsewhere at risk.
The DA has already written to the Chairperson of the Education Portfolio Committee requesting that the MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane and his department be called before the Portfolio Committee as a matter of urgency to account for their lack of action, as the current situation is untenable.
As the next step, the DA will push the GDE to engage the Department of Justice to vet employees against the NRSO and issue certificates.
While this process is cumbersome and expensive, it is imperative that all employees are vetted to ensure that children are protected at school.
The DA in Gauteng will also be writing to the National Minister of Education, Siviwe Gwarube, to request that she engage her counterparts in Police and Justice to see if the cost of R85 for vetting can be removed to make the process more efficient.
A DA Gauteng provincial government would ensure the swift vetting of all school employees because every learner deserves to learn in a safe environment, free from violence and abuse.
Issued by Michael Water, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Education, 19 November 2024
