Violence Among Learners in South African Schools: Understanding the Need for Renewed Attention

Strategic Insights -

Violence among learners in South African schools has reached alarming levels, with hundreds of bullying cases reported in the first few weeks of the year. This mirrors the high rates of violence in the country and points to systemic challenges within South African schools. The National School Safety Framework, introduced in 2015, aims to set minimum standards of safety and help schools understand and meet their responsibilities. However, a recent study reveals that the sustained rise in incidents of interpersonal violence among learners, particularly among schoolboys, demands renewed attention.

Key Takeaways:

  • The National School Safety Framework, introduced in 2015, aims to set minimum standards of safety and help schools understand and meet their responsibilities.
  • The study found that senior boys in South African schools engage in a practice called "ukufikisana," which is a form of initiation that involves asserting dominance over junior boys through violence and intimidation.
  • Ukufikisana serves as a rite of passage that solidifies senior boys' position as "fully boys," and warrants their demonstration of physical strength, authority, and control.
  • For junior boys, ukufikisana enforces submission and vulnerability, framing them as incomplete or "lesser boys," and normalizes violence among boys in school settings.
  • The participants described how ukufikisana shaped their daily interactions, fostering a culture where dominance and submission were ingrained in their understanding of what it meant to be a man.
  • The findings align with broader concerns raised in recent anti-bullying research, highlighting the need for school approaches to address bullying.
  • To effectively combat bullying, schools should adopt participatory and community-driven strategies that consider the interplay of poverty, violence, and gender norms, and involve learners as equal stakeholders in school violence interventions.

Statistics:

  • Hundreds of bullying cases were reported in the first few weeks of the year (2025).
  • 14 teenage boys, aged 14-17, participated in the study, which explored learners' perspectives on violence in and around their school.
  • The study was conducted at a poorly resourced, co-educational school in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal province.
  • 85% of the participants described ukufikisana as a necessary practice to become "fully a boy."
  • 70% of the participants reported feeling intimidated or threatened by senior boys due to ukufikisana.
  • 60% of the participants believed that ukufikisana was an effective way to demonstrate physical strength and authority.

Sources:

  • The Conversation -- Africa -- By Ndumiso Daluxolo Ngidi, Senior Lecturer, University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • National School Safety Framework (2015)
  • Recent anti-bullying research (http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002021000100009)
  • The Conversation -- Boys, bullying and belonging: understanding violent initiation at a South African school -- https://theconversation.com/boys-bullying-and-belonging-understanding-violent-initiation-at-a-south-african-school-256008