In a shocking revelation, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has confirmed that only 19% of teachers have been screened and vetted at public schools against the National Register for Sex Offenders.
This data, concerning over 400 000 teachers across public schools, was disclosed following queries from IFP MP Liezl van der Merwe, after Gwarube commented following the alleged rape of the 7-year-old Cwecwe at Matatiele in the Eastern Cape, that she would like to see teachers and other officials at schools screened and vetted against the National Register for Sex Offenders.
The shocking statistics come against the backdrop of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development working on a phased approach to making the register more accessible to key stakeholders most affected by the challenge of sexual offenders.
In her response, Gwarube clarified that the law mandates employers of school staff to verify the suitability of candidates before any appointment is finalised and immediately terminate employment if an individual is found to be listed on the two registers.
She said the Department of Basic Education (DBE) had issued a directive to all provincial Education Departments that all officials and educators, including those in office- and school-based posts, must be vetted against the National Register of Sexual Offenders.
Out of a total of 405 738 teachers employed by provincial departments, a total of 78 509 teachers (19%) have been vetted.
“These figures are based on educator data from the PERSAL system as of December 2024, and reporting received from provincial Education Departments by 31 March 2025,” she said.
The Free State province leads the pack with 12 240 teachers (53%) who are vetted out of 23 242, followed by the Western Cape with 14 158 teachers (38%) vetted out of 36 931, Mpumalanga with 11 583 (34%) out of 34 088, and Gauteng with 21 531 (28%) out of 77 225.
Only 2 410 teachers (5%) are vetted in the Eastern Cape, and only 7% in KwaZulu-Natal, which translates to 6 661 out of 9 158. Limpopo recorded no teachers having been vetted out of its 51 446.
“While the vetting process remains ongoing, the disparity in progress across provinces highlights the importance of strengthening compliance, and intergovernmental coordination,” Gwarube said.
She explained that DBE does not currently monitor the vetting of educators employed at independent schools.
“The responsibility for vetting staff at independent schools lies with the owners of these schools. However, independent schools are legally obligated to comply with the same vetting laws and procedures as are applicable in respect of public schools.”
Gwarube outlined some of the measures to close loopholes in the vetting process. These include making it mandatory for suitability checks for all new and existing appointments, and engaging with SAPS and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to streamline vetting processes.
Van der Merwe and Sonke Gender Justice reacted with shock to the number of teachers that have been screened and vetted by the department.
Van der Merwe, who is also the chairperson of the women, youth and persons with disabilities portfolio committee, said the revelation that only 19% of teachers in public schools have been vetted – and figures for private schools are unknown – painted a picture of a system that was failing children.
“It also begs the question: what happened to the Department of Education’s own undertaking that all educators and staff working with children and people with disabilities should be vetted by 31 December 2023? It is clear that we are sending our nation’s children to schools where their safety cannot be guaranteed because we do not know whether their teachers are sexual predators or not. This status quo cannot remain,” she said.
Van der Merwe noted that President Cyril Ramaphosa had in September 2019 convened a special sitting of the National Assembly and declared gender-based violence and femicide a national crisis.
The government had initiated a number of interventions, such as the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
Van der Merwe said little headway has been made in the fight against GBVF, and the NSP doesn’t seem to enjoy the full support and attention of all government departments.
“For as long as teachers remain unvetted, crimes against children will remain a painful reality. We, therefore, call on the Minister of Basic Education to urgently announce timeframes and a plan of action to ensure that the remaining 71% of teachers are vetted, and this must be completely within a six-month timeframe,” she said.
Van der Merwe called Ramaphosa to instruct a review of the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the NSP.
Sonke Gender Justice co-executive director Bafana Khumalo said it was shocking that only such a low number of teachers have so far been vetted against the sexual offences register.
“This is a huge indictment against the department, which has a mandate to ensure that our children are protected from predators at all times. It is indeed baffling why the department is so inept in ensuring that those entrusted with children have a clean record,” Khumalo said.
He also said parents of children who are violated by educators have a right to litigate against the department for reckless endangerment.
“As Sonke Gender Justice, we hope that the minister will put up a remedial plan as a matter of urgency to ensure that this situation is corrected and that all teachers are properly vetted,” Khumalo said.
