Effective Safety and Security Measures in the Prevention of Various Crimes in Selected Ordinary, Public Secondary Schools: A Participatory Framework Approach
Tinyuku David Ngoveni 
, Dee Khosa , Jacob Tseko Mofokeng & Michael Moreti Mahome
Issue: Vol.5 No.16 Issue Article 6 pp.2763-2779
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245166 | Published online 4th December, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Worldwide, various crimes have permeated schools, creating a major challenge when it comes to the maintenance of the safety and security of both educators and learners and, to a large extent, school infrastructure. It is surprising that South Africa is constantly grappling with a burgeoning wave of diverse crimes, a problem that is confined to the broader society but has infiltrated secondary schools. This study examined the types of crimes caused in secondary schools to establish effective safety and security measures for the prevention of those crimes. The study employed a qualitative approach in the form of an explanatory multi-case study of nine Tshwane South District (D4) public ordinary secondary schools in the province of Gauteng, South Africa, entrenched within Borda’s (1987) Participatory Theory. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews which were conducted with 30 purposively selected participants and analysed using thematic content analysis (TCA). The findings revealed the prevalence of various crimes in all the schools under study, and further exposed the lack of efficiency in the preservation of safety and security. To preserve safety and security, community involvement and participation are key because schools cannot rely only on technological advancement. Furthermore, all the stakeholders constituting a school community are urged to methodically consult and analyse all the existing policies for better and informed safety and security measures formulation. The study provides a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to assess strengths and weaknesses, thereby enabling the development of more effective measures to curtail and minimize the ongoing prevalence of such crimes.
Keywords: Safety and Security, Various Crimes, Participatory Framework, South Africa, Ordinary, Public Secondary Schools
Adewale, Sulaimon, Sherifat Shola Adebayo, and Peters Abiodun Afolabi. “Managing School Safety in Nigeria in the 21st Century: The Need for A Balanced Approach.” African Journal of Humanities and Contemporary Education Research 10, no. 1 (2023): 72–78.
Bezuidenhout, R., and F. Cronje. “Qualitative and Data Analysis and Interpretation.” In Research Matters, edited by F. Du Plooy-Cilliers, C. Davis, and R. Bezuidenhout, 262–86. Juta and Company Ltd., 2021.
Bless, Claire, Craig Higson-Smith, and Ashraf Kagee. Fundamentals of Social Research Methods: An African Perspective. Juta and Company Ltd, 2006.
Bucher, K.T., and M.L. Manning. “ Creating Safer Schools,” 2010.
Bureau oF Justice Assistance. “Understanding Community Policing. A Framework for Action,” 1994. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles/commp.pdf.
Burger, J. “ Submission to the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of Police Inefficiency in Khayelitsha and a Breakdown in Relations between the Community and the Police,” 2014. https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3.sourceafrica.net/…/3-b-johan-burger-report.p.
Buzna, C.P. De. “ A Study of School Vandalism—Causes and Prevention Measures Currently Found in Selected Secondary Schools in Cities throughout Alabama,” 1975. https://ir.ua.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/10177/675640.pdf?sequence=1.
Cape Town: Government Printers. “Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act 11 of 1993 (Published in the Government Gazette, (15369) ,” n.d.
Chirume, J. “Equipment Worth More than R6 Million Stolen from Technical School Gqeberha,” 2021. https://groundup.org.za/article/equipment-worth-more-r6-million-stolen-technical-school-gqeberha/.
Cooze, Jim. “Curbing the Cost of School Vandalism: Theoretical Causes and Preventive Measures.” Education Canada 35, no. 3 (1995): 38–41.
Creswell, J. W., and J. D. Creswell. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches . 5th ed. London: Sage, 2018.
Dedel, K., The problem of school vandalism and break-ins. 2005. [Online]. Available from: https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/school-vandalism-break-ins-0 [Accessed on 04 October 2023].
Department of Basic Education. “Guidelines for Capacity Building of School Governing Body Members,” 2018. https://www.education.gov.za/Portals/0/Documents/Publications/SGBs/GUIDELINES FOR CAPACITY BUILDING of School Governing Body Members (final 1).pdf?ver=2018-06-08-094707-203.
Department of Basic Education, UNICEF & Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention. “The National School Safety Framework,” 2015. http://www.cjcp.org.za/national-school-safety-framework-nssf.html.
Department of Police. Civilian Secretariat For Police. Community Safety forums Policy. Undated [Online]. Available from: http://www.policesecretariat.gov.za/downloads/policies/community_policing.pdf [Accessed on 06 March 2024].
Donkor, A.K., School safety issues in Northern Ghana: A way forward. 2018. [Online]. Available from: https://www.arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhsse/v5-i2/10.pdf [Accessed on 13 March 2024.
Ekici, N., Kelly H. Akdogan, and S. Gultekin. “ A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Community Policing on Crime Reduction,” 2022. https://www.journalcswb.ca/index.php/cswb/article/view/244/736.
Fals-Borda, Orlando. “The Application of Participatory Action-Research in Latin America.” International Sociology 2, no. 4 (1987): 329–47.
Freire, Paulo. “2000, Pedagogy of the Oppressed.” Continuum, New York, 1970.
Gina, M.J. Safety and Security in Schools: The case of KwaZulu-Natal Province. Tshwane University of Technology. DEd Thesis (Educational Studies), 2013.Unpublished.
Hamdan, M. “ Review of International Studies on Perception of Safety and Human Security,” 2022. https://www.journalcswb.ca/index.php/cswb/article/view/234/619.
Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). “Schools Are so Violent Teachers Live in Fear,” June 15, 2017. http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/hsrc-in-the-news/education-and-skills-development/violence-in-schools.
K, Mashaba E, Sibanda G, Tsebe M M, Ngidi P, and Maile S. “Learner Learner- on- Learner Violence: A Case of Tshwane West District (D15), Mabopane, Gauteng Province.” International Journal of Social Science Research and Review 5, no. 8 (August 16, 2022): 115–29. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v5i8.378.
Karuri, J G, and W Muna. “Effects of Community Policing on Crime Prevention in Kakamega County, Kenya.” International Academic Journal of Law and Society 1, no. 2 (2019): 312–27.
Khumalo, S.S. “ S.T. Implications of School Violence in South Africa on Socially Just Education,” 2019. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335790010_IMPLICATIONS_OF_SCHOOL_VIOLENCE_IN_SOUTH_AFRICA_ON_SOCIALLY_JUST_EDUCATIONhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/335790010_IMPLICATIONS_OF_SCHOOL_VIOLENCE_IN_SOUTH_AFRICA_ON_SOCIALLY_JUST_EDUCATION.
———. “Implications of School Violence in South Africa on Socially Just Education,” 2023. file:///C:/Users/ngovetd/Downloads/IMPLICATIONS_OF_SCHOOL_VIOLENCE_IN_SOUTH_AFRICA_ON (4).pdf.
Kole, O.J. “ Partnership Policing between the South African Police Service and the Private Security Industry in Reducing Crime in South Africa.” Doctoral thesis, Pretoria, University of South Africa, 2015. https://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/19153/thesis_kole_oj.pdf?sequence=1andisAllowed=y.
Kollapen, J. “Crime and Its Impact on Human Rights: Ten Years of the Bill of Rights,” 2007. https://www.sahrc.org.za/home/21/…/Crime%25 20Conference%2520Report.pdf2007.pdf.
Kumar, R. Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. 5th ed. Singapor: SAGE, 2019.
Lindeque, M. “ 57 Schools in Gauteng Vandalised or Affected by Harsh Weather over Holidays,” 2022. https://ewn.co.za/2022/01/11/57-schools-in-gauteng-vandalised-or-affected-by-harsh-weather-over-the-holidays.
Louw, M. “ Ethics in Research.” In Research Matters, edited by F. Du Plooy-Cilliers, C. Davis, and R. Bezuidenhout, 262–86. Juta and Company Ltd., 2021.
Maphazi, N, K Raga, J D Taylor, and T Mayekiso. “Public Participation: A South African Local Government Perspective,” 2013.
Mathe, Khethiwe Sibongiseni Jabulisile. Discipline, Safety and Security in Schools: A Challenge for School Management. University of Johannesburg (South Africa), 2008.
Mestry, R. “Financial Accountability: The Principal or the School Governing Body?,” 2004. file:///C:/Users/ngovetd/Downloads/ajol-file-journals_154_articles_24977_submission_proof_24977-1837-31707-1-10-20060523.pdf.
Mokwena, K.E., and N.J. Setshego. “Substance Abuse among High School Learners in a Rural Education District in the Free State Province, South Africa,” 2021. https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5302/6854.
Motimele, M. “ Educational Rights Project. School Governing Bodies, Rights and Responsibilities,” 2021. https://www.uj.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/school-governing-bodies-rights-and-responsibilities.pdf.
National Council for Crime Prevention. “ School Survey on Crime: On Crime Victimisation and Participation in Crime.” Swedish Ministry of Justice Report on crime in schools, 2021. www.bra.se.
Ncontsa, V.N., and A. Shumba. “The Nature Causes and Effects of School Violence in South African High Schools,” 2013. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/saje/article/view/91942 [.
Ngoveni, Tinyiko David, Witness Maluleke, and Christopher Mabasa. “Insights on the Use of Community Policing Forum for Crime Prevention: A Case Study of the Brooklyn Police Station, South Africa.” International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478) 11, no. 5 (2022): 482–94.
Nzama, M.V., and Ajani O.A. “Substance Abuse among High School Learners in South Africa: A Case Study of Promoting Factors,” 2001. https://journals.co.za/doi/epdf/10.10520/ejc-aa_affrika1_v2021_nsi1_a12.
Republic of South Africa. “ Safety in Schools,” 2021. https://www.education.gov.za/Programmes/SafetyinSchools.aspx#:~:text=In terms of the Regulations,atmosphere of fear and aggression.
Road Traffic Management Corporation. “Scholar Patrol Policy, Standing Operations Policy,” 2018. http://www.kzntransport.gov.za/rd_safety_ed/activity-booklets/Scholar Patrol Policy.pdf.
Roux, C S Le, and P R Mokhele. “The Persistence of Violence in South Africa’s Schools: In Search of Solutions.” Africa Education Review 8, no. 2 (2011): 318–35.
Saferspaces. “ National School Safety Framework,” 2023. https://www.saferspaces.org.za/be-inspired/entry/national-school-safety-framework-nssf#.
Sokutu, B. “Back to School: 24 Gauteng Schools Vandalised during December Holidays.” The Citizen, 2023. https://www.citizen.co.za/news/24-vandalism-incidents-gauteng-schools-december/.
South Africa. White Paper on Safety and Security, in Service of Safety 1999-2004. Pretoria: Government Printers, 1998.
South African Council for Educators (SACE). “Handbook for Teachers’ Rights, Responsibilities and Safety,” 2020. https://sace.org.za/assets/documents/uploads/sace_90707-2020-01-10.
Sozer, Mehmet Alper, and Alida V. Merlo. “The Impact of Community Policing on Crime Rates: Does the Effect of Community Policing Differ in Large and Small Law Enforcement Agencies?” Police Practice and Research 14, no. 6 (December 1, 2013): 506–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2012.661151.
Squelch, Joan. “Do School Governing Bodies Have a Duty to Create Safe Schools? An Education Law Perspective: Current Issues in Education Law and Policy.” Perspectives in Education 19, no. 1 (2001): 137–49.
Statistics South Africa. “ 60.6 Million People in South Africa,” 2023. https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=15601.
Tshabalala, T. “ Teachers’ Perceptions towards Classroom Instructional Supervision: A Case Study of Nkayi District in Zimbabwe,” 2013. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ijsse.com/sites/default/files/issues/2013/v4i1/paper/Paper-3.pdf.
———. “Alarm over Increase Violence Incidence in South African Schools.” IOL, 2023. https://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/news/alarm-over-increase-in-violent-incidents-at-sa-schools-f8e9a491-038a-4789-96ff-a11d9f80f979.
UNESCO, Let us decide on how we measure violence. 2017. [Online]. Available from: https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/taxonomy/term/197 [Accessed on 29 October 2023
Uzuegbu-Wilson, Emmanuel. “The Challenges of Safe School in Nigeria: The Role of Security Agencies.” Available at SSRN 3431777, 2019.
Wang, C., and A. Thompson. “Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021,” 2022. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2022/2022092.pdf.
Wantenaar, Angelique Antoinette, and Doraval Govender. “Experiences of Community Policing Forum Members in Liaison with SAPS, Private Security and Community Members Regarding Community Policing.” African Security Review 32, no. 4 (October 2, 2023): 458–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/10246029.2023.2248095.
Xaba, Mgadla Isaac. “An Examination of the Effectiveness of the Implementation of Safety and Security Measures at Public Schools in South Africa.” Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 5, no. 27 (2014): P1.
Zulu, B.M., G Urbani, and A. van der Merwe. “ Violence as an Impediment to a Culture of Teaching and Learning in Some South African Schools,” 2004. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/saje/article/view/24984.
Tinyuku David Ngoveni is a Senior Lecturer and Chair of Department in the Department of Criminology and Security Science at the University of South Africa. He holds a Master of Arts and a PhD in policing. His research interests include community policing and crime prevention.
Prof. Dee Khosa is a young hardworking academic professional who always aspires to accomplish goals by gaining knowledge and insight into opportunities presented. She holds a Doctor of Literature and Philosophy Degree in Police Science from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a National Diploma in Public Management from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). Her fields of study and expertise are in policing and related sciences. The dynamics of gender sensitivity have found particular prominence in her studies. She is a recipient of Emerging Researcher and Woman Researcher of the Year 2021. She has presented and peer-reviewed research papers at both national and international conferences. Prof. Khosa also serves on various institutional committees, including the highest governing body, the Senate. She was once a member of the Traffic Law Enforcement Review Committee (TLERC), appointed by the Minister of Transport from 2016 to 2020. She is currently a non-executive director appointed by the Minister of Transport at Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) and has been at post since August 2020.
Jacob Tseko Mofokeng is a Professor & African Research Chair for Campus and School Public Safety – Department of Safety and Security Management at Tshwane University of Technology Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. He is a recipient of numerous awards (UNESCO & University of Connecticut). He gained recognition for exemplary contribution to the promotion and expansion of the frontiers of human rights and fostering global solidarity in 2014 and received the Faculty of Humanities Senior Researcher of the Year Award for 2016/17).
Dr. Michael Moreti Mahome is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Technology, in the Department of Primary Education. He is a budding researcher, holding a University Diploma in Education, and an Advanced Certificate in Education, specialising in Professional and Curriculum Development. He holds an Honours degree in Inclusive Education, and Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Education. Dr. Mahome has taught at secondary schools for 18 years. For 2 years, he served as a departmental head for African Languages, and for 5 years he was a deputy principal. This also includes a 1-year lecturing experience at Tshwane University of Technology. His research focus is on Teacher-Directed Violence and Education Leadership and Management, with a special focus on middle leadership. He is the author of nine articles in accredited journals.
Ngoveni, Tinyuku David, Dee Khosa, Jacob Tseko Mofokeng & Michael Moreti Mahome. “Effective Safety and Security Measures in the Prevention of Various Crimes in Selected Ordinary, Public Secondary Schools: A Participatory Framework Approach,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.16 (2024):2763-2779. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245166
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
