SADTU’s reaction to the signing of the school safety protocol between the DBE and SAPS.
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) notes the signing of the Collaborative Implementation Protocol between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on school safety as one of the initiatives aimed at strengthening safety and security in our schools.
While we acknowledge this renewed commitment, we wish to emphasise that such a partnership is not new. The first protocol between the DBE and SAPS was signed in 2011 and has been implemented in the Basic Education sector since 2015. It successfully established collaborative frameworks across all nine provinces and ensured that every school was linked to a local police station. In addition, Provincial Education Departments set up Safe School Committees to drive crime prevention programmes.
This latest initiative aligns with SADTU’s I Am a School Fan campaign, which seeks to ensure safety and security in schools. The campaign recognises that creating safe learning environments is not the sole responsibility of government, but a collective duty that requires the active participation of all stakeholders — including government departments, educators, learners, parents, communities, faith-based organisations, businesses, and civil society.
We note the prioritisation of hotspot provinces — KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and Gauteng — but urge that equal attention be given to all provinces. Violent incidents also occur in areas where they may go unreported due to the limited presence or accessibility of police services.
We hope the signing of this Protocol will not only reaffirm previous efforts but lead to more effective and consistent implementation. Numerous plans and policies already exist to address school safety, yet violence continues to plague our learning institutions.
Our goal remains clear, we want schools to become safe havens for teaching and learning — environments where learners, educators, and education support personnel can thrive without fear.
ISSUED BY: SADTU Secretariat