The KwaZulu-Natal police, accompanied by DBE officials, made unannounced visits to the Ikusasalethu Secondary School, Newtown Combined School and Inanda Comprehensive School in Inanda in the KZN Province on Tuesday morning, 22 July 2025. The DBE’s Mr Sifiso Ngobese, Director for School Safety and Mr Elijah Mhlanga, Spokesperson for the DBE represented the Department during the school visits.

The school visits are part of the implementation of the School Safety Protocol, which is a joint initiative by the DBE and the South African Police Service (SAPS) to create safer learning environments in schools. The Protocol is aimed at addressing social ills such as bullying, gangsterism, substance abuse and Gender-Based Violence. During the visits, police provided valuable safety information to learners, and subsequent searches led to the recovery of dagga and cigarettes.

The DBE and SAPS launched the Safe Schools Protocol during a signing ceremony by Minister Siviwe Gwarube and the Minister of Police in Parliament, Cape Town on 24 June 2025. 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.

Addressing the media, Mr Mhlanga said that, “the 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. The safety of our children is non-negotiable”.