Newly released data has revealed that almost 3% of school staff in South Africa have been flagged for criminal activity, raising serious concerns over student safety and the effectiveness of employee screening procedures. The report, compiled by TPN, a leading background screening provider, covers the period between March 2024 and February 2025. While slightly lower than the previous year, the findings point to a persistent gap in safeguarding processes across the country\u2019s education sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ALSO READ: DBE: Over 93% of Pit Toilets Eradicated in SA Public Schools Under SAFE Initiative<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Ashleigh Laurent, Legal Counsel at TPN, 2.95% of school staff screened during this period had criminal records \u2014 equating to roughly 1 in every 34 individuals. Importantly, this figure includes not only teachers but also temporary hires, grounds staff, coaches, and other personnel with access to children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the figure marks a slight drop from the 3.08% recorded the year before, it remains disturbingly high<\/a>. The offenses flagged range from theft and assault to more severe crimes, including drug trafficking and even murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The breakdown of convictions reveals the most common offenses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though sexual offenses decreased from 2.63% in 2022 to 1.22%, their presence in school environments remains a serious red flag. \u201cThe protection of children cannot be compromised,\u201d Laurent stated, urging continuous and comprehensive pre-employment vetting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TPN also highlighted that 1.06% of school employees screened are currently awaiting trial<\/strong>, meaning they face charges but haven\u2019t been convicted yet. Common pending offenses include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While awaiting-trial individuals are legally presumed innocent, the nature of these charges raises concern \u2014 particularly in school environments where safety and trust are non-negotiable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By law, all schools are obligated to screen staff<\/strong> against both the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO)<\/strong> and Part B of the National Child Protection Register<\/strong>. These checks are essential under the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act (SORMAA)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, educators registering with the South African Council for Educators (SACE)<\/strong> must submit a police clearance certificate no older than six months. Failure to comply with these measures can lead to civil and criminal liability<\/strong>, along with long-term reputational damage for schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SORMAA also mandates that individuals must disclose past sexual offense convictions<\/strong>, whether or not the offense occurred during employment. However, despite these requirements, enforcement gaps remain \u2014 particularly among long-serving staff who were hired before modern screening protocols were implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The drop in sexual offense-related convictions is a sign that tighter screening is starting to work. But TPN warns that even small percentages represent significant risks<\/strong> when children’s lives and well-being are involved. Early intervention and consistent enforcement are key to reducing risks and maintaining safe learning environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With nearly 3% of school staff flagged for criminal activity, South Africa\u2019s education system must urgently strengthen its screening procedures. Schools need to conduct regular background checks, follow legal protocols, and prioritize transparency to protect their learners. The safety of children<\/a> in educational spaces is non-negotiable \u2014 and it starts with knowing who we allow through the school gates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Newly released data has revealed that almost 3% of school staff in South Africa have been flagged for criminal activity, raising serious concerns over student safety and the effectiveness of employee screening procedures. The report, compiled by TPN, a leading background screening provider, covers the period between March 2024 and February 2025. While slightly lower<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":8663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Newly released data has revealed that almost 3% of school staff in South Africa have been flagged for criminal activity, raising serious concerns over student...","footnotes":""},"categories":[1762],"tags":[2606],"class_list":{"0":"post-8654","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education-education","8":"tag-criminal-activity"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8654"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8665,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8654\/revisions\/8665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1 in 34 School Employees Has a Criminal Record<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Top Crimes Among School Staff<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Pending Trials Highlight More Risk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Are Schools Meeting Legal Vetting Standards?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A Slight Improvement \u2014 But Not Enough<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Key takeaway<\/h3>\n\n\n\n