Shockingly few Gauteng teachers have been checked against the sex offenders’ registry
· Citizen
Efforts to protect children from sexual predators in the school system are stalling due to a lack of funding.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) earlier this month gave a presentation on the progress of vetting its staff against the National Registry of Sex Offenders (NRSO).
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A drive to ensure no sex offenders are employed in classrooms has been slow, with the GDE blaming the number of outstanding vetting reports on budget constraints.
“There is no movement on this project due to lack of funding.
“In mitigating this unfunded mandate, the department is using the reports of those who are entering the system and including promotion through recruitment process to subject them to this register,” the GDE’s presentation stated.
89% of Gauteng teachers remain unvetted
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) previously explained that vetting required two separate government entities.
A prospective employee must first obtain a police clearance certificate, which may take roughly 15 days.
Once the police clearance is received, an application must be submitted to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCD), which administers the NRSO.
The GDE set itself a target last year to vet 86 367 school employees, including teachers, administrators, teaching assistants, drivers and food handlers.
As of 28 February, 57 837 vetting applications had yet to be submitted by GDE employees, with 24 460 relayed by the GDE to the justice department.
Of those vetting applications submitted to the DJCD, 9 550 clearances had been received, 3 834 were returned due to being incomplete or incorrectly submitted, and 10 422 had yet to be processed.
Since August, the vetting has resulted in the identification of 23 suspected sexual offenders.
Five were terminated, one resigned, disciplinary proceedings were pending against one other, and 17 had their suspensions lifted – five after proving their names were not on the register, and 12 after their records were expunged.
“A person’s name can be removed from the register if convicted for a period not more than 18 months,” confirmed the justice department.
‘Untenable risks’
The number of school employees in Gauteng who had been vetted steadily increased from 3 750 three years ago to 7 871 the year after.
However, parliament heard in November that 60 teachers had been flagged nationally via the NRSO in the previous financial year.
“The present vetting backlog is untenable and exposes children to unnecessary risk.
“Upholding that right requires employers to fulfil their statutory obligations with diligence and urgency. The protection of children must remain paramount,” stated DA spokesperson for basic education, Nazley Sharif, at the time.
DA Gauteng spokesperson for education, Michael Waters, highlighted the need to remove the financial barriers to vetting and centralise the system.
“Considering the financial constraints across all departments, if they continue to charge for this process, we will never achieve 100% vetting, which will leave our children exposed and vulnerable to sexual predators.
“We would also advocate for a provincial deadline for the vetting of all individuals working with children, and the immediate removal of any individual flagged by the system,” said Waters.
Infringement on privacy
Build One South Africa (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane previously called for the NRSO to be made public to make identifying sexual criminals easier.
“In the context of rising sexual crimes, keeping this register locked behind bureaucracy is both reckless and unjustifiable.
“If we are serious about protecting children and survivors, we must break the cycle of silence and secrecy,” said Maimane.
The register was meant to become publicly accessible in February 2025, but that move was postponed to allow for appropriate legislative amendments.
Legal professional Themba Daniel Mokwena wrote in De Rebus that making the NRSO publicly accessible could constitute an infringement of the Constitutional right to privacy.
“While access to the NRSO is restricted to specific institutions, there is always the risk of misuse or unauthorised disclosure, leading to stigmatisation and social exclusion of offenders who have already served their sentences,” Mokwena stated.
Education activist Hendrick Makaneta reminded authorities that schools were meant to be places of safety for children.
“The fact that a significant number of teachers have not been vetted against the sex offenders register raises very serious concerns for learner safety and public trust in the education system.
“Without a comprehensive screening process, there is a risk that offenders could enter the system undetected and that can expose learners to abuse.
“Ensuring that all educators are properly vetted is not just a procedural requirement but a fundamental responsibility to uphold the safety and rights of every learner,” Makaneta told The Citizen on Monday.
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