Campaign Contents
- Introduction
- Corporal Punishment Booklet
- Press Statements
- Opinion Pieces
- Our SACE in the media
- Gallery
Introduction
South Africa has constitutionalised human rights, however, many of these rights have not been realised for people living in South Africa. The Bill of Rights, which is at the cornerstone of our Constitution, gives special attention to the protection and promotion of children’s rights. Section 28 of the Bill of Rights states that all children have the right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation.
In 2019, SECTION27 received two complaints of corporal punishment. In the first instance, a learner attending grade two at a primary school in Gauteng was hit on the back of his head with a PVC pipe by his teacher.
In the second instance, a teacher at a primary school in Limpopo struck a grade five learner on her cheek and then on her head. The learner experienced a lasting bleed from her ears which required her to visit several doctors, resulting in her absenteeism from school. Consequently, the learner was forced to repeat grade five. The parents of both learners have shared that their children felt afraid to return to school. SECTION27 has taken the South African Council of Educators to court to call on stringent sanctions on those found guilty of perpetrating corporal punishment.
Reporting Corporal Punishment Booklet
Press Statements
Leading up to and following the case there were a number of press statements you can read them here:
- SECTION27 goes to the Supreme Court of Appeal calling for SACE’s lenient sanctions on corporal punishment to be reviewed
- SACE Leave to Appeal Granted
- SACE Leave to Appeal hearing Dec 2022
- SACE case back in court
- SACE court case April 2022
- SECTION27 takes SACE sanctions on cases of corporal punishment on review
Opinion Pieces
SECTION27, and partners wrote a series of op-eds on the SACE case read them here:
- Council of Educators has failed to protect pupils from abuse and end corporal punishment, but is soft on teachers By Zahara Motani
- Corporal punishment ban in SA schools, more than two decades later: More needs to be done By Gertrude Quan, Isabel Magaya and Mila Harding
- Corporal Punishment in South African Township Schools: The root cause of a violent South Africa By Lehlohonolo Mofokeng
- Teachers are not being adequately held to account for assaulting pupils By Demichelle Petherbridge
- The council for educators needs a heavier hand in dealing with the scourge of corporal punishment By Mila Harding
- Bad teachers still reach for the rod By Dr. Faranaaz Veriava
- Enforcing corporal punishment ban in South Africa’s schools still elusive By Dr. Faranaaz Veriava
Our SACE case in the media
Watch selected reporting on the case here:
Gallery
