Gangsterism and a Safe Schooling Environment: Assessing The Perspectives of Learners in South Africa
Ernest Mpindo 
, Awelani Rambuda & Motalenyane Alfred Modise
Issue: Vol.6 No.7 Article 9 pp.1052 – 1061
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025679 | Published online 18th June, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This qualitative interpretivist research paper assessed the perspectives of learners in the Free State province regarding the impact of gangsterism and a safe schooling environment in South African public schools. The formation and association of gangsterism in schools and misuse of alcohol, narcotics, and other intoxicants exacerbate most violent incidents in schools. Due to this, learners lose their control, become unruly, and are unable to focus or work with teachers and other learners as a result, teachers and learners are regularly the targets of violent attacks using the weapons, which frequently result in tragic fatalities. This study employed Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory as a research framework, which uses an ecology model where humans are placed inside interactive systems and characterises the traits that influence protection and risk factors that can either raise or lower the likelihood of aggression and violent exposure. In-depth interviews were conveniently employed to address the following questions: What are the perspectives of learners on school safety in the school context? To what extent does gangsterism in school threaten the safety of learners in schools? Data was analysed thematically. The results showed that gangsterism still makes schools dangerous places for many learners to learn, which impairs their wellbeing over the long run. This study recommends the establishment of school safety policies which prohibit gang activities and encourage greater community participation, collaboration, and ownership of safety issues at nearby schools. The study contributes to a debate on the safety of learners and their well-being in schools amid the alarming increase in violence in schools.
Keywords: Bullying, Learner, Gangsterism, Violence, School, Well-Being
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Ernest Mpindo is a PhD candidate and works as a Researcher for Curriculum and Academic Staff Development unit in the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at the Central University of Technology, Free State (Bloemfontein Campus) South Africa. His research is focused more on classroom management strategies, school safety, student teacher development, school violence, human rights education and education law.
Prof. Awelani Rambuda is an Associate Professor in the Department of Postgraduate Studies: Education within the Faculty of Humanities. He teaches research methodology to students enrolled in the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and Bachelor of Education Honours (BEd Hons) programmes. A seasoned academic and leader, Prof. Rambuda previously served as department manager for three academic units at CUT’s Welkom Campus: the Department of Educational and Professional Studies, Department of Language and Social Sciences Education, and Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. He also chaired the Departmental Research Committee (DRC) during this tenure. His research interests include enquiry-based teaching and learning and the application of science process skills in education. He has successfully supervised 14 master’s and 11 Doctoral candidates in diverse education subfields such as curriculum studies, inclusive education, educational psychology, and education management and leadership. He has published 14 peer-reviewed journal articles and five conference proceedings. His scholarly work covers a range of topics, including geography teachers’ and learners’ perceptions of science process skills, the implementation of assessment in mathematics, digitally mediated learning, and the management of teaching and learning. He has presented 27 papers at national and international conferences in Botswana, Spain, Thailand, and Türkiye. Prof. Rambuda has served as an external examiner for 16 master’s dissertations and eight Doctoral theses from institutions in South Africa and Pakistan. He is also an experienced peer reviewer for several academic journals. Additionally, he has contributed to the academic community as a reviewer for the National Research Foundation (NRF) across its postdoctoral, travel, general, and international research grant panels. In recognition of his excellence in teaching and scholarly contribution, Prof. Rambuda received the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Award: Category A, Advanced Career Teaching. His research and leadership continue to align with the University’s strategic goal of fostering a strong culture of research, innovation, and academic excellence. Prof.Rambuda’s academic journey began at the University of the North, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA), a University Education Diploma (UED), and a Bachelor of Education (BEd). He taught Economics, English, and Geography at secondary school level for six years before pursuing a Master of Education (MEd) degree at the University of Cape Town. In addition, he holds a BA Honours in Industrial Psychology from UNISA and a PhD in Subject Didactics from the University of Pretoria.
Prof. Motalenyane Alfred Modise is an Associate Professor at Central University of Technology (CUT) in Free State Province, former Departmental Manager, former Acting Assistant Dean: Teaching and Learning, former Acting Senior Director – Research Development Support and PG Studies and currently Assistant Dean: Research, Innovation and Engagement at CUT, Free State Province. His research interests include accounting education, transformation and change, pre-service teachers’ development, pedagogical content knowledge of Economic and Management Sciences He is the member of the following committees : Member of Senate, Title Registration Committee, Faculty research committee, Faculty board member, University Research & Innovation ( URIC), Research Forum, Ethical Committee member at CUT, Promotion committee, Community engagement committee ,International committee . He has proven himself as a scholar by presenting papers in the national, international conferences. He published papers in different Journals and supervise master’s and PhD students. He is the Deputy President of Southern Society for Education He is an editor of different Journals and during 2022 editor of special issue hosted by Central University of Technology Free State of South Africa. He contributed two chapters in the Book: Financial literacy for the 21 Century: An Accounting and Personal finance Perspective during 2025.
Mpindo, Ernest, Awelani Rambuda and Motalenyane Alfred Modise. “Gangsterism and a Safe Schooling Environment: Assessing The Perspectives of Learners in South Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no.7 (2025): 1052 – 1061. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025679
© 2025 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/).
