The Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, briefed the Portfolio Committees on Basic Education, Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Health, and Social Development on the Joint Interim Report regarding the Statutory Rape of Young Girls on 21 August 2026.

The meeting was chaired by Acting Chairperson, Ms Eleanor Spies, who indicated that the Report had been adopted by the National Assembly on 5 March 2026 and subsequently referred to the relevant Portfolio Committees.

In her opening remarks, the Minister stressed that creating safe and conducive learning environments free from sexual abuse is not the responsibility of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) alone, and required coordination with Social Development, Justice, the police and provincial departments as it was a broader societal problem that had become a national crisis. “Whilst the DBE had implemented measures such as the Protocol with the South African Police Service (SAPS), searches and seizures, and school safety committees involving School Governing Bodies (SGBs), community members and school staff, these interventions are insufficient on their own as many incidents occurred outside schools within homes and communities, and subsequently manifest within schools”.

The DBE indicated that around 51,000 of about 500,000 educators had been vetted against the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO). The Minister supported turning the interdepartmental engagement into a standing quarterly oversight meeting. She disclosed that a court settlement with the Teddy Bear Foundation had set a binding deadline of March 2027 for completing public school educator vetting, after provincial departments indicated an earlier September 2026 target was unachievable. Vetting against the NRSO involved the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJCD), whilst the National Child Protection Register (NCPR), was administered by the Department of Social Development (DSD). The DBE therefore depended on processes managed by other departments.

Mr Likho Bottoman, DBE Director for Social Cohesion and Equity in Education, noted that several policy and legislative instruments were already in place to address sexual violence and school safety, including the National School Safety Framework; the Protocol for the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in Schools; the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act; the Children’s Act; the Employment of Educators Act; and the South African Council for Educators (SACE) Code of Professional Ethics.

He outlined the DBE’s position on the seven recommendations as strengthening compliance with mandatory reporting obligations and sanctions; introducing clearer provisions governing electronic communication between staff and learners; expanding access to cluster-based social workers; improving the vetting of all adults working in schools; strengthening the resourcing of the SACE and Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC); developing multi-sectoral systems for child-protection data; and accelerating the removal of convicted offenders from the education system. Mr Bottoman concluded by again identifying the systemic constraints, particularly inadequate data integration; POPI-related restrictions; limited vetting capacity; insufficient resources for child-friendly hearings; and the lack of funding for cluster-based social workers.

DBE Director-General, Mr Mathanzima Mweli, provided additional information on the proposed engagement with the DoJCD, confirming that, following the Minister’s request for a meeting with the Minister of Justice, he had also requested a meeting with the DoJCD Acting Director-General to prepare for the ministerial engagement. He had met with provincial Heads of Education (HoDs) during the previous month to discuss the DBE’s deadline for completing staff vetting by the end of September 2026. The Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) had indicated that the September 2026 deadline was too tight to meet and committed to meeting the 31 March 2027 deadline established through the settlement with the Teddy Bear Foundation. The DBE was working towards both the September 2026 target and the final 31 March 2027. On child-friendly facilities used by ELRC, it was indicated that alternative arrangements were used where facilities did not have the equipment necessary to ensure that learners could testify safely with the evidence leader acting as an intermediary, so that the learner did not have direct contact with the relevant party. Technology such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams could also be used to facilitate the learner’s testimony whilst maintaining appropriate protections.

The engagement confirmed that significant work had already been undertaken, but that gaps remained. Addressing challenges could not be achieved by the DBE alone and required a coordinated and continued effort involving all relevant government departments.