Vetting Drive for South African Teachers Falters, Leaving Children Exposed to Convicted Sex Offenders

Strategic Insights -

Over a year after the government promised to remove convicted sex offenders from South Africa's public schools, a national vetting drive continues to falter. Despite lofty promises, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has screened fewer than one in 10 teachers and staff at schools against the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO). Internal DBE statistics show that the vetting process remains crippled by confusion, non-compliance from teachers, and a lack of coordination across government departments.

Key Takeaways:

  • Only 9% of teachers and staff have been vetted, despite the government's promise to remove convicted sex offenders from public schools.
  • The DBE has internal statistics showing that the vetting process is crippled by confusion, non-compliance from teachers, and a lack of coordination across government departments.
  • The vetting drive has identified 49 convicted sex offenders in schools, with many remaining in their posts.
  • Many teachers were never subjected to criminal background checks when they were originally hired, leaving a clear pathway to employment in schools for convicted sex offenders.
  • The DBE has been aware of the issue of vetting since 2016, but lacks attention has been paid to the issue until the vetting drive was launched in 2022.
  • Teachers who tried to comply with the vetting process often hit a wall at police stations, where officers rejected applications, charged inconsistent fees, and did not honour a recently brokered fee waiver.
  • The Department of Justice is unable to handle the volume of vetting applications, with a backlog of nearly 50,000 unprocessed applications.
  • The Justice Minister has warned that the inefficiency means many children are at risk of being in the hands of a sex offender.

Statistics:

  • Only 9% of teachers and staff have been vetted.
  • 49 convicted sex offenders have been identified in schools.
  • 23,000 child rape and sexual assault cases are reported to the police each year.
  • The backlog of unprocessed vetting applications at the Department of Justice is nearly 50,000.

Sources:

  • Internal DBE statistics
  • Investigation by Viewfinder
  • Carte Blanche on the vetting drive produced by Viewfinder in February
  • South African Council of Educators (SACE)
  • National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO)
  • Department of Basic Education (DBE)
  • Department of Justice
  • Police Minister Senzo Mchunu
  • Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi
  • Viewfinder report
  • European Commission
  • Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project (SA AJP)