A search through the schoolbags of learners at Badirile Secondary School in Khutsong, Carletonville, yesterday morning provided a chilling inventory of the challenges facing Gauteng’s education system. Knives, a sharpened fork, scissors, and vapes were among the items seized during a high-stakes stop-and-search operation that stripped away any veneer of normalcy from the troubled institution.
The multi-agency intervention, led by the Gauteng Department of Education, saw the South African Police Service (SAPS) supported by Gauteng Traffic Police, traffic wardens, and community policing forums (CPFs). The presence of patrollers and community members underscored the level of desperation to restore order at a school that Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile has now categorised as one of the most volatile in the province.
For MEC Maile, the morning’s findings were merely the physical manifestation of a much deeper rot. Addressing the media and school stakeholders, he painted a picture of an institution where the authority of educators has been completely eroded by gangsterism and the looming shadow of the region’s illicit mining industry.
“There are learners here who threaten teachers, saying they will call zama zamas and criminals to murder educators,” Maile revealed. “We have learners involved in gangsterism. Some of them are not attending classes at all. I checked their books and found nothing. They are not here to learn. They come to school simply to eat the food intended for learners and to terrorise both learners and educators.”
The MEC’s visit comes after three months of intensive engagement with various stakeholders regarding the surge of violence in Gauteng schools. Badirile Secondary has emerged as a particularly notorious flashpoint. According to Maile, the department had received reports of bullying on social media as recently as last week, but the history of violence at the school goes far deeper.
“We already knew about the situation because community members had raised it during meetings. We were told this is one of the most notorious schools. There was even a murder at the school earlier this year, and that is how things have spiralled out of control,” he stated.
However, the MEC was quick to point out that the breakdown of order was not solely the fault of the children. In a blistering assessment of the school’s professional standards, he alleged that a subset of the teaching staff was contributing to the anarchy through dereliction of duty.
Maile alleged that five educators had been repeatedly absent from school, failed to teach, and were known to frequent taverns during school hours. He confirmed that the department’s labour relations unit has been instructed to act.
“Before I leave, I will receive a report from the attendance register because I have instructed our labour relations unit to investigate and take action against them,” he said. “In fact, these same teachers are the subject of a petition submitted by other educators.”
During his initial walkabout, Maile found some teachers in the staff room, though they were able to justify their presence. “There were a few educators in the staff room, and when I asked why they were there, they explained they were preparing for lessons and waiting for their timetables. They were able to account for their presence,” he said. These teachers, he added, used the MEC’s ear to vent their own frustrations about the systemic failures that have left them feeling vulnerable and unsupported.
The lack of stable leadership at the top was identified as a primary catalyst for the school's decline. Badirile has been operating without a permanent principal, a vacuum that Maile intends to fill as a matter of urgency.
“I have instructed the district to appoint an acting principal immediately while the process of recruiting a permanent principal gets under way,” he said. “We need to restore discipline and strengthen parental involvement.”
The MEC’s intervention also extended to the parents of those learners identified as the primary drivers of disruption. He made it clear that the department would no longer tolerate "brazen" defiance of school rules, noting that some suspended learners were so emboldened that they reportedly tore up their suspension letters.
“If they fail to come, I will send officials to their homes,” Maile warned, referring to parents who ignore school summons. He highlighted the tragic case of an 18-year-old Grade 9 learner as an example of the wasted resources at the school. “He comes to school only to eat the food provided for learners. When I looked at his books, there was nothing because he does not attend class. We cannot have learners who are not attending class remaining on the school premises.”
Yesterday's operation, while dramatic, was described by Maile as part of a broader health and safety strategy rather than a isolated event. He indicated that more unannounced searches would follow at other institutions.
“We are placing this school under the spotlight because we want to ensure there is order within the next few weeks. Apart from crime, violence, bullying, and gangsterism, the core issue is a lack of discipline,” Maile said.
As the MEC and the police departed, the district director was left with instructions to meet with all staff members, introduce the new acting principal, and ensure the school governing body (SGB) was prepared to meet its legal obligations.
“We cannot allow anarchy in our schools,” Maile concluded. “When we said we were going to confront this problem head-on, we were serious.”
The items confiscated—the knives, the scissors, and the domestic fork repurposed as a weapon—remain with the police, a grim reminder of the war for order currently being fought in Khutsong’s classrooms.
