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Background
Gauteng Province remains one of the hotspots of crime. The recently released crime stats show that Gauteng has the highest crime rates with total 118 311 crimes reported, representing 26% of all crime recorded in the country in 2026. The study by the Center for Justice and Crime Prevention found that there is a link between crimes in communities and incidents in schools. Therefore, the high crime levels in the province are mirrored to a large extent in our schools. This could be a number of factors that include school community gang conflicts, gang violence spilling into schools, presence of shebeens and drug dens near schools.
Over the last five years, the Department has recorded incidents across selected crime categories in schools. These categories were identified based on the frequency with which they occur and their impact on teaching and learning.
The data reveals persistent school safety challenges across Gauteng.
Over this period, schools reported more than 4,100 incidents of vandalism and more than 4,600 incidents of violence. The Department also recorded close to 400 incidents of sexual misconduct and nearly 1,400 search and seizure cases.
While the number of incidents has fluctuated over the years, the overall trend demonstrates that violence, vandalism, substance-related incidents and learner misconduct remain significant challenges that require continued collaboration between schools, parents, communities and law enforcement agencies.
These numbers are a concern as they indicate that schools are under threat. The Gauteng Department of Education is working closely with the South African Police Service under the 10-point protocol signed in 2025. Part of the protocol is searches and seizures and reporting and monitoring. This will assist in consistent collation and analysis of crime and schools and implemented targeted interventions.
School safety is part of the broader societal challenges relating to crime, violence, substance abuse and social instability that confront South Africa, which continue to affect communities and are increasingly finding expression within our school environments. It takes a village to raise a child campaign is aimed at sensitising communities about the realities of the impact of society on schools and the importance of community involvement in addressing crime and violence in schools
The Gauteng Department of Education therefore recognises school safety as a critical pillar of educational success. Learners cannot learn effectively in environments characterised by fear, intimidation or violence. Educators cannot teach optimally in unsafe conditions. Continued vandalism, burglaries and theft of equipment and assets are hindering effecting delivery of curriculum. Safe schools are therefore not only a security imperative, but an educational imperative.
What communities are telling us
Through the Department’s Thuto Pele – “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” community engagement programme, where the MEC regularly engages with parents, educators, School Governing Bodies, community leaders, faith-based organisations and other stakeholders across Gauteng, school safety consistently emerges as one of the most pressing concerns affecting school communities.
Communities continue to raise concerns relating to bullying, learner-on-learner violence, substance abuse, vandalism, theft of equipment, burglaries, criminal activity around schools and the growing exposure of learners to social challenges that negatively affect teaching and learning.
School Governing Bodies and principals have repeatedly highlighted the impact of criminal activity within communities, inadequate security infrastructure, damaged fencing, poor lighting, vandalism and burglaries on the ability of schools to provide safe and conducive learning environments.
Parents have also expressed concern about the safety of learners both within school environments and along routes travelled to and from school.
These concerns are consistent with the findings of the Department’s environmental scan on crime and violence in schools, which identified gang-related violence, bullying, substance abuse, theft, vandalism, sexual harassment and criminal activity around schools as some of the key safety challenges affecting schools across the province.
The alignment between what communities are reporting and what the Department’s research reinforces the urgency of strengthening school safety interventions and deepening collaboration between government, communities and other stakeholders.
The state of school safety in Gauteng
Recognising the growing importance of school safety, the Gauteng Department of Education commissioned a comprehensive environmental analysis of crime and violence in schools, which was conducted by the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance, which profiled more than 1,300 schools across the province and identified 245 schools as high-risk schools requiring targeted interventions and support.
The study found that school safety challenges were often linked to broader community conditions. Key concerns identified included gang-related violence, bullying, substance abuse, the availability of drugs and alcohol around schools, sexual harassment, vandalism, theft and criminal activity within surrounding communities.
Importantly, the findings of the study mirrored concerns raised by communities during stakeholder engagements across Gauteng. Parents, educators and School Governing Bodies repeatedly highlighted the impact of violence, bullying, substance abuse and criminal activity on learners and school communities.
The study therefore reinforced the Department’s position that school safety must be addressed through a combination of prevention, support, enforcement and community participation.
Evidence from schools and learner support programmes
Beyond the findings of the environmental scan, the Department continues to receive valuable insights through the work of its learner support and psychosocial intervention programmes.
Reports submitted by partner organisations indicate that many schools continue to face challenges relating to bullying, substance abuse, learner mental health, behavioural concerns, trauma, abuse and community-related safety risks.
Through the Department’s partnership with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), school-based mental health awareness and suicide prevention interventions reached more than 11,000 learners and over 150 educators during April 2026 alone. These interventions focused on depression, anxiety, suicide prevention, help-seeking behaviour and emotional wellbeing. Schools participating in the programme highlighted concerns relating to bullying, substance abuse, peer pressure and learner mental health challenges.
The Department’s partnership with the Teddy Bear Foundation continues to provide specialised support to vulnerable learners across Gauteng. During April 2026, the Foundation supported more than 100 schools and provided direct interventions to learners affected by trauma, abuse, behavioural challenges and psychosocial difficulties.
Additional support is provided through Childline Gauteng and the Isibindi EzikoleniProgramme, which continue to deliver counselling services, child protection interventions, psychosocial support and early identification of vulnerable learners requiring specialised assistance.
The Isibindi Ezikoleni Programme currently operates in 30 schools across the province through Child and Youth Care Workers who provide support to vulnerable learners and strengthen school-based care and support systems. Through this programme, more than 35,000 learners have benefited from awareness programmes and targeted interventions, while hundreds of high-risk learners continue to receive ongoing support.
The evidence emerging from these programmes demonstrates that school safety extends beyond physical security. Effective school safety interventions must also address learner wellbeing, mental health, psychosocial support, family circumstances and broader community conditions that influence learner development.
The impact of crime and violence on teaching and learning
School safety is directly linked to educational outcomes because learners who do not feel safe are less likely to attend school regularly, participate fully in learning activities or perform to their full potential and educators who work in unsafe environments face additional pressures that affect morale, productivity and teaching effectiveness.
Violence, vandalism and criminal activity also divert limited resources away from teaching and learning. Funds that should be directed towards educational programmes are often redirected towards repairs, security measures and emergency interventions.
For this reason, school safety must be viewed as an essential component of educational quality and learner success.
Crime, vandalism and the protection of school infrastructure
The Department remains deeply concerned about criminal activity targeting schools and educational infrastructure.
Schools are public assets that serve entire communities. When educational infrastructure is vandalised, burglarised or destroyed; the consequences extend beyond physical damage. Valuable teaching and learning time is lost, limited financial resources are redirected towards repairs and replacement costs whilst learners are deprived of the quality learning environment they deserve.
Incidents involving damaged fencing, break-ins, theft of equipment, vandalism of classrooms and destruction of infrastructure continue to place pressure on schools and the education budget.
The Department therefore calls upon communities to regard schools as community assets that require protection and collective ownership.
Existing school safety interventions
The Gauteng Department of Education has implemented a range of interventions aimed at improving school safety and creating secure learning environments.
Following the identification of 245 high-risk schools through the Department’s environmental scan, targeted interventions were introduced to support schools facing elevated safety risks. As part of these interventions, private security services were initially deployed to 75 schools and later expanded to 121 schools identified as requiring additional protection and support.
While this intervention contributed to improving security at identified schools, it was subsequently discontinued due to funding constraints. More importantly, the Department recognises that the long-term protection of schools cannot rely solely on private security services. School safety requires a collaborative approach involving law enforcement agencies, School Governing Bodies, communities, parents and other stakeholders working together to create safer learning environments.
The Department has also invested in technology-enabled safety interventions. CCTV systems have been installed at 606 schools across Gauteng as part of efforts to strengthen monitoring, improve incident detection and support preventative approaches to school safety.
In addition, the Department has implemented specialised CCTV interventions through partnerships such as the Vodacom School Safety Project, which supports selected schools through surveillance systems, monitoring technologies and enhanced safety infrastructure aimed at improving school security.
Beyond physical security measures, the Department continues to strengthen partnerships with the South African Police Service and other stakeholders through awareness campaigns, safety education programmes and specialised support services aimed at preventing incidents, promoting positive behaviour and improving response mechanisms.
These interventions form part of the Department’s broader approach to school safety, which combines technology, stakeholder collaboration, prevention programmes and community participation to create safe and conducive learning environments for all learners and educators.
Strengthening school safety
The Department recognises that school safety cannot be achieved through security measures alone. While physical security remains an important component of school safety, sustainable solutions require a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of violence, anti-social behaviour and criminal activity affecting learners and school communities.
For this reason, the Department continues to strengthen the role of School Governing Bodies, enhance partnerships law enforcement agencies, municipalities, social workers, psychologists, community structures and civil society organisations to ensure a coordinated response to school safety challenges.
Particular emphasis is being placed on strengthening incident reporting systems, improving stakeholder coordination, expanding psycho – social support services and enhancing programmes that address bullying, substance abuse and learner wellbeing.
The Department is also continuing to strengthen school-based safety structures to ensure that safety interventions are not only implemented during times of crisis, but become an integral part of school governance and management.
Importantly, the Department remains committed to ensuring that school safety interventions are informed by evidence, community engagement and the lived experiences of learners, educators and parents.
School safety is therefore being approached not only as a security issue, but as a learner development, community development and educational quality issue.
The future of school safety in Gauteng
Recognising the evolving nature of safety challenges affecting schools, the Gauteng Department of Education has commenced a comprehensive review of its School Safety Strategy.
The review process, which began in 2024, seeks to assess the effectiveness of existing interventions, identify emerging risks and strengthen the overall school safety framework in the province.
The revised strategy aims to place greater emphasis on prevention, early intervention, stakeholder coordination and the use of technology-enabled solutions to improve school safety outcomes.
The Department also recognises the importance of strengthening school-level ownership of safety initiatives. Sustainable school safety cannot be achieved through external interventions alone. Schools themselves must become active participants in identifying risks, implementing preventative measures and building positive school cultures.
The future approach to school safety will therefore focus on creating learning environments that are not only physically secure, but also emotionally supportive and conducive to teaching and learning.
The Department’s long-term objective is to move beyond reactive interventions and towards a preventative school safety model that combines technology-enabled safety systems, community ownership, learner support services, stakeholder collaboration and evidence-based planning.
The revised School Safety Strategy is expected to be finalised during 2026 and will provide a strengthened framework for addressing school safety challenges across Gauteng.
The role of parents and communities
One of the clearest messages emerging from engagements with communities across Gauteng is that parents and communities want safer schools and better educational outcomes for their children.
At the same time, communities have consistently acknowledged that school safety cannot be achieved by government alone.
Parents remain the primary influence in the lives of their children. The values, discipline, attitudes and behaviours that learners bring into schools are often shaped long before they enter the classroom.
For this reason, parental involvement remains one of the most important interventions in promoting positive learner behaviour and preventing violence, bullying and substance abuse.
Communities also play a critical role in protecting schools from vandalism, criminal activity and anti-social behaviour. Schools are not merely government facilities; they are community institutions, centres of learning and symbols of hope for future generations.
The Department therefore calls on parents, School Governing Bodies, community leaders, faith-based organisations, civil society organisations and all stakeholders to actively support school safety initiatives and work collectively to protect schools.
This approach is consistent with the principles underpinning the Department’s Thuto Pele – It Takes a Village to Raise a Child programme, which recognises that learner development and educational success are shared societal responsibilities.
The safety of learners and educators is not negotiable.
Every learner has the right to learn in an environment that is safe, supportive and conducive to educational success. Every educator has the right to teach in an environment free from violence, intimidation and fear.
The evidence presented in this statement, together with the findings of the Department’s environmental scan and ongoing engagements with communities across Gauteng, reinforces a simple but important reality: safe schools are essential for quality education.
The concerns raised by parents, educators, School Governing Bodies and community stakeholders, coupled with the evidence emerging from school safety interventions and learner support programmes, demonstrate that school safety remains one of the most important priorities facing the education sector.
The Gauteng Department of Education will continue to strengthen school safety interventions, invest in learner wellbeing and psycho – social support programmes, expand strategic partnerships and implement evidence-based interventions aimed at creating safer learning environments for all learners and educators.
However, school safety cannot be achieved by government alone.
The Department recognises that sustainable solutions require active participation from parents, families, communities, School Governing Bodies, faith-based organisations, civil society organisations, law enforcement agencies, the private sector and every stakeholder who has an interest in the wellbeing of our children.
The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act further reinforces the responsibility of the education system to protect the dignity, wellbeing, safety and best interests of every learner. Schools must remain environments where learners feel protected, supported and able to realise their full potential.
The Department therefore calls on all stakeholders to work together to combat violence, address bullying, prevent substance abuse, protect school infrastructure and create safer communities for our children.
Protecting learners is a shared responsibility.
Protecting schools is a shared responsibility.
Building safer communities is a shared responsibility.
The Gauteng Department of Education remains committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure that schools remain places of learning, opportunity and hope for every child in the province.
Protecting schools means protecting the future of our children.
Protecting our children means protecting the future of Gauteng.
Issued by the Gauteng Department of Education
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