School violence in Chatsworth sparks calls for harsher punishment

A recent act of alleged violence and bullying caught on video between two female learners at Southlands Secondary School in Chatsworth has prompted parent bodies and trade unions to call for harsher punishment for offenders of violence, bullying and other criminal acts in schools.

Vee Gani, chairperson of the Parents' Association in KZN, said parents are concerned about sending their children to school under the threat of violence.

"As a parent you send your child to school, knowing that they will be in a safe environment. But these days schools are considered dangerous places with children fearing for their lives," Gani said.

"We are seeing an unhealthy increase in violence inside and outside school premises. Schools do not advocate violence. Every school has a code of conduct that strictly prohibits violence of any kind. So I, like many other parents, believe that if a learner is being aggressive in school, they should be immediately removed from school. Yes, the law does protect children, but we should take the bull by the horns and protect all our other children."

Thirona Moodley, CEO of NAPTOSA (the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa), recognised the rights enshrined in the constitution of every learner but believes that the punishment should fit the crime.

"We recognise that the rights of all children are recognised. But these rights are not unconditional. You forfeit your rights when you attack another child or learner."

Moodley also encouraged victims of these acts to stand up for themselves.

"Children who are victims have to enforce the law when they are attacked or being bullied. They have to report the incidents to the principal and they have to open criminal charges. Although they are minors, they are still accountable to the law."

Advocating for the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, Moodley said, "The South African Schools Act does not work in favour of the victim. Under the Act, a disciplinary tribunal is required to be set up by the school governing body. However, the BELA Act has amended the Schools Act to provide for the suspension of the learner who has committed serious misconduct."

Speaking specifically about the latest case at the Chatsworth school, Moodley added, "The case in Chatsworth will be categorised as a serious misconduct."

Meanwhile, Dr. Marcina Singh, research associate at the University of Johannesburg, advocates for a deeper analysis of school violence.

"The South African Police Service statistics and academic research will very blatantly highlight that our children are not safe in their homes, in their communities or in their schools. The response to school violence in South African schools is not simply to remove these problematic children. We need to contextualise violence in order to know how to deal with the challenge. I am not saying that there should not be severe repercussions for violence in schools, but we also need to make sure that we address the cause of the violence, not the symptom."

Singh added, "Current interventions relating to school violence in South Africa have been sporadic, inconsistent, underfunded and mostly ineffective. However, to address school violence, we need to address violence as a whole in the country. A fish rots from the head. I know that it is difficult to hear when your child is being assaulted at school, but how do you expect citizens to toe the line when we have our leaders embroiled in violence and corruption with little or no repercussions?"

Despite the grim assessment, Singh remains hopeful.

"We have an engineered culture of violence that has become part of our social fabric. I think with sufficient political will and community buy-in we can change things for the better. Schools are where we develop the future citizens of our country. As such, we have a responsibility to teach them how to be."