Minister Siviwe Gwarube together with the Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu hosted a joint media launch and signing ceremony for the Collaborative Implementation Protocol on School Safety, the “Safe Schools Protocol”. The launch took place in Parliament, Cape Town on 24 June 2025.

“This Safe Schools Protocol is not the beginning of our partnership. It is the renewal of a long-standing relationship between the DBE and SAPS, but it has now been strengthened, refocused and reinvigorated with a clear vision to create safe and child-friendly schools. The Protocol will ensure that all schools are linked to local police stations and supported through functional School Safety Committees, made up of the school principal, a staff member, who will serve as the school safety officer, a representative of the School Governing Body (SGB) and a police officer from the local police station. This Committee will also be responsible for ensuring that incidents are reported to the police. It will implement school-based crime prevention programmes that address Gender-Based Violence; bullying; gangsterism; alcohol and drug abuse; and possession of weapons, deploying visible policing in hotspot areas, especially during high foot traffic times before and after school. In addition, it will establish Victim-Friendly Rooms and community response forums to improve support services for vulnerable learners; and improve the vetting of educators and staff in schools against the National Register for Sexual Offences and Child Protection Register,” said Minister Gwarube.

The Protocol also makes provision for an Oversight Steering Committee and quarterly reporting to ensure accountability and evidence-based adjustments to implementation efforts; it is an ambitious and necessary structure of coordination, nationally, provincially, and down to every district and school level. The Safe Schools Protocol outlines a clear vision to create safe schools, emphasising shared responsibility, and integrating stakeholders such as civil society organisations, parents, school governing bodies, and learners into the safety ecosystem.  An accompanying workplan, providing practical, measurable and urgent activities, including joint school safety audits, updating standard operating procedures and ensuring compliance with laws regulating liquor outlets near schools, has also been developed. The signing ceremony marks a critical step in making school safety a tangible reality, aligning with the 7th Administration's five national priorities for education.

“I commend those communities, schools and police stations where collaborative school safety efforts are already yielding results. The Johannesburg West District is leading in this regard, and the District meets quarterly with the police stations that service their schools and co-create interventions to deal with emerging crime trends. This is what we want to see replicated in all our school districts. The safety of our children is non-negotiable. We are also preparing for the next phase: dealing with teachers listed on the National Register for Sexual Offenders. We have sent new Standard Operating Procedures to all Provincial Education Departments (PEDs). The law allows employers in certain circumstances to terminate teachers found on the register, and we will be working with PED’s to ensure that they commence the process accordingly. We cannot have any safety blind-spots when it comes to learner safety. South Africans, I commit myself here today that we will make our schools safe. We have no other choice,” Minister Gwarube concluded.