This is not an isolated incident. In October alone, several cases of violence were reported at schools countrywide. A Grade 9 learner in Boksburg was stabbed on school premises by a group of boys who jumped the fence. A group of girls was filmed assaulting a peer in Athlone. And at St Stithians College in Johannesburg, severe bullying damaged a Grade 1 child’s hearing.

Other incidents have ended in death. A 13-year-old died by suicide after years of bullying, and a matric learner was fatally stabbed in a brawl at an Eastern Cape school.

These stories reveal a grim pattern: violence among children is pervasive and normalised in schools across South Africa. Basic Education Department and United Nations Children’s Fund data from 2023 shows that around 3.2 million learners in South Africa experience bullying each year – roughly double the global average.

The problem is not new. A 2013 study of 12 000 Grade 9 pupils found that 36% were involved in bullying as victims, perpetrators or both. Eight percent identified as bullies, 19% as victims, and 9% as both – the last group suffering the most psychologically.

Findings from the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study revealed that 74% of South African Grade 5 students reported being exposed to one or more forms of bullying in schools almost monthly. Yet two-thirds of victims never report these experiences, fearing ridicule, disbelief or inaction by teachers.

The psychological and educational toll is severe: around one in 10 high school learners skips school to avoid bullying. Others experience depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts.

School bullying mirrors a society where aggression and intimidation are often used to assert power or resolve conflict. South Africa’s high levels of interpersonal violence – in homes, communities, and workplaces – inevitably seep into schools. Children learn behaviour by observing adults.

Research by Professor Cathy Ward at the University of Cape Town refers to this as the social transmission of violence. She describes how children who witness domestic abuse or experience harsh discipline internalise the idea that power is maintained through force. Exposure to violence in childhood predicts both perpetration of violence and acceptance of victimisation as normal.

Nearly three decades after corporal punishment was outlawed in South Africa, it remains deeply entrenched in schools and homes. A 2019 Statistics SA study found that 8% of primary school-aged children experienced violence at school. This included corporal punishment (84%), verbal abuse (13.7%) and physical violence (10.6%) by teachers. Many parents still endorse and use physical punishment, believing it is good for children or needed for discipline.

This undermines anti-bullying efforts. Corporal punishment normalises violence as a legitimate response to wrongdoing and teaches children that authority is exercised through pain and humiliation rather than guidance.

When schools use harsh and punitive discipline, they replicate the same coercive dynamics found in violent households. Bullying is not simply mischief – it is the symptom of a social order that legitimises control through fear and pain.

At an event marking International Day against Violence and Bullying at School on 6 November, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube urged school leaders to act swiftly on allegations of bullying. Yet responses remain largely reactive – suspensions, expulsions or arrests – which address the behaviour, but not its causes.

Research shows that many perpetrators of bullying have themselves been chronically exposed to violence. Aggression becomes a learnt coping mechanism, and punishing them without psychological support recycles trauma and reinforces the cycle of humiliation and fear.

Moreover, focusing only on individuals obscures deeper systemic weaknesses, including under-resourced schools, overburdened teachers and limited access to psychosocial services. Few schools have trained counsellors, and community-based support systems are stretched thin. Teachers and parents often don’t know how to respond to or prevent bullying.

If schools are mirrors of society, the reflection staring back is troubling. Bullying is not just about children misbehaving; it’s about a country still struggling to unlearn violence as a social language. Until we address the environments that teach children that power belongs to those who can inflict the most harm, the headlines will repeat themselves – and each new video will reflect our collective failure to change.

If we want to create school environments where children are safe and where empathy, respect and accountability replace fear, adults must model non-violent behaviour. We need to walk the talk and bring policies and guidelines into practice. Action in five areas is key.

First, a shift from punishment to prevention is needed. Schools should adopt whole-school approaches that emphasise restorative discipline, peer mediation and positive reinforcement rather than exclusionary or punitive responses.

Second, psychosocial support must be strengthened. Every school should have access to trained counsellors or social workers. Partnerships with community-based organisations can help provide trauma-informed care and early intervention for victims and perpetrators.

Third, corporal punishment must be ended in practice, not just in law. Renewed campaigns and teacher training are needed to eliminate physical discipline in schools and promote non-violent classroom management.

Fourth, parents and caregivers need support. Parenting programmes that teach emotional regulation, communication and non-violent discipline can disrupt the intergenerational transmission of violence.

Last is the building of safer school cultures. The Basic Education Department must collaborate with schools, parents, educators and learners to establish clear anti-bullying policies, effective reporting mechanisms and peer-led initiatives that prioritise empathy, respect and accountability in school life.

Breaking the bullying cycle requires more than disciplinary reform; it demands cultural transformation. Concerted action is needed to support teachers and schools in knowing how best to respond to and prevent bullying. Parents must play a key role in this effort.

Written by Thandi van Heyningen, Senior Researcher, Justice and Violence Prevention, ISS Pretoria.

Republished with permission from ISS Africa. The original article can be found here.

The post Violent school bullying reflects South Africa’s broken society appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

General Masemola has also directed SAPS officers to respond swiftly and thoroughly to reports of bullying, stressing that delays, particularly those that result in viral videos before action is taken, must be avoided. He emphasised the critical role of school learners, bystanders, and those with knowledge of such incidents in reporting them without hesitation.

This call to action follows a specific case in which seven girls, aged between 13 and 15, were arrested after being implicated in an incident of bullying against a 14-year-old girl. The arrests formed part of a broader national effort, which saw 16,001 individuals detained for various offences during the week. The seven pupils were traced and apprehended by police and subsequently released into the custody of their parents in accordance with the Child Justice Act. They appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrates Court and are scheduled to return on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, to face charges of common assault.

General Masemola issued a clear warning that bullying is a criminal offence with serious legal consequences. He stated that acts of bullying may result in charges such as assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, common assault, crimen injuria, and others. A conviction can lead to a permanent criminal record, potentially derailing future opportunities. He warned that police would not hesitate to trace and prosecute anyone involved in such behaviour, highlighting cases in which victims of bullying have taken their own lives. He also cautioned bystanders against enabling or encouraging bullying, noting they could be held legally accountable as accomplices.

The SAPS, in partnership with the Department of Basic Education through the School Safety Memorandum of Understanding, has been conducting awareness campaigns in schools across South Africa. These initiatives include talks on the dangers of bullying and gangsterism, as well as targeted raids to search for sharp objects, drugs, and illegal weapons.

The Commissioner called on all South Africans to stand united in opposition to bullying to ensure the creation of safer environments for young people.

This recent case is one of several that SAPS has dealt with in recent weeks. In Letlhabile, near Brits, police arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with a separate bullying incident. That investigation, which involves up to 20 other children, remains ongoing.

Operation Shanela successes

The arrests form part of Operation Shanela, which was conducted nationwide between 12 and 18 May 2025. During this period, SAPS recorded significant law enforcement actions, including 223 arrests for rape, with KwaZulu-Natal accounting for 106 of those. There were 82 arrests for illegal firearm possession, 272 for illegal drug dealing, with the Western Cape leading at 55 arrests, 646 for illegal alcohol trading, and 2,847 for drug possession, over half of which were in the Western Cape. In addition, police arrested 183 individuals for murder, with the Eastern Cape accounting for the highest number at 52.

Further notable figures include 81 arrests for illicit mining and 679 for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Among the notable confiscations were 65 hijacked or stolen vehicles and 128 illegal firearms.

The post National Police Commissioner highlights Operation Shanela arrests, urges collective action to combat bullying appeared first on ProtectionWeb.