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I have written to seven national Ministers calling for urgent, coordinated intervention to fix South Africa’s failing child-safeguarding system. This follows growing concern that the current system for vetting individuals working with children is fragmented, inconsistent, and unable to guarantee learner safety.

The Ministers addressed include those responsible for:

• Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi
• Social Development, Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe
•  Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube
• Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi
• Police, Firoz Cachalia
• Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie
• Public Service and Administration, Mzamo Buthulezi

I welcome the constructive response received from the Minister of Basic Education, who has acknowledged the seriousness of this matter and outlined steps already taken within the schooling sector to strengthen safeguarding measures.

The Minister’s response also confirms a deeply concerning reality: while progress has been made within the schooling sector, the broader vetting system remains manual, delayed and dependent on multiple departments. There is still no single integrated system to verify whether individuals are suitable to work with children across sectors, and administrative delays continue to undermine timely safeguarding checks.

The response from the Minister of Basic Education makes clear that the Department has already issued directives to Provincial Education Departments, developed standard operating procedures, facilitated access to the National Child Protection Register, supported training for provincial officials, and engaged with other departments to address implementation bottlenecks. These are important steps, but they are not enough on their own where the safeguarding system still depends on fragmented processes across Justice, Social Development, Police and other sectors.

Despite clear legal obligations in the Children’s Act, the Sexual Offences Act, and the South African Schools Act, the system remains fragmented and poorly coordinated. This allows individuals to move between sectors without proper vetting.

This is not a minor administrative issue; it is a systemic safeguarding weakness that continues to place children at risk. The protection of children does not fall within a single department. It requires coordinated action across:

• Justice, as custodian of the National Register for Sex Offenders
• Social Development, as custodian of the National Child Protection Register
• Education, Health, Police, and other sectors that employ individuals who work with children

The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng has therefore called on national government to urgently:

• Establish an inter-ministerial task team to coordinate a unified vetting framework
• Implement a free, standardised vetting system across all sectors working with children
• Introduce a centralised digital verification system
• Ensure that no individual is permitted to work with children without confirmed clearance

The legal framework already exists. What is now required is urgent enforcement, practical coordination, and a system that works in real time to protect children.

The response from the Minister of Basic Education is a welcome and constructive step. It shows that some work is already being done within the education sector, but it also highlights the urgent need for stronger coordination and practical action from all departments responsible for child safeguarding.

South Africa cannot afford a safeguarding system that only works on paper while children remain exposed.

Issued by Michael Waters MPL - DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Education