South Africa: Two-Thirds of Public School Staff Remain Unvetted for Child Abuse As Court Deadline Looms

What the report says

South Africa’s Department of Basic Education is under pressure to complete vetting of public school staff for child abuse records after a Gauteng High Court settlement set a deadline of 31 March 2027. According to Daily Maverick, cited by AllAfrica, about 309,000 public school employees have not yet been checked against Part B of the National Child Protection Register, leaving roughly two-thirds of the workforce unvetted.

The case stems from a legal challenge brought by public interest law centre SECTION27 on behalf of the Teddy Bear Foundation. The organisations sought to compel education and social development authorities to meet constitutional and legal duties to protect children from sexual abuse in schools. The court-backed agreement was reached on 7 August and applies to the Department of Basic Education and provincial education departments.

Daily Maverick reported that the litigation was prompted by the abuse of a 12-year-old girl by a school caretaker in 2015. The article says the man remained at the school for years before being dismissed and was only added to the child protection register in 2023 after sustained follow-up by the advocacy groups. The settlement highlights long-standing gaps in screening and the wider challenge of safeguarding learners in public schools.