Governing Body Foundation (GBF) CEO, Dr Anthea Cereseto, says it’s time for the language around bullying to change.
Dr Cereseto says some cases of bullying are clear assault and verbal or sexual harassment, which are criminal offences.
The foundation was reacting to the recent bullying cases that have rocked KwaZulu-Natal schools.
In one incident, a 17-year-old girl from Durban attempted to take her own life last week Thursday at home over the scourge.
According to the victim’s mother, the Grade 11 learner had suffered repeated assault from some of her peers over a period of time. One of the incidents was recorded on a phone and went viral on social media.
The provincial Department of Education has strongly condemned the bullying.
According to the Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, 548 cases of bullying have so far been reported in the country since the start of the 2025 academic year.
In the information revealed in her response to a Parliamentary question, the Minister cited Limpopo as leading the charge with a high number of cases – clocking at 305. KwaZulu-Natal is second highest with 29 cases recorded so far, followed by Gauteng which has reported 23 bullying incidents and the Free State had the least incidents with only one case on record.
Dr Cereseto says some bullying cases need to be reported to the police, while victims should be given support.
The Governing Body Foundation, which promotes sound governance at South Africa’s public schools, says schools should fully implement their codes of conduct and school governing bodies must take a hard stance on actions that violate the rules.
Dr Cereseto says people must not mistake bullying with the awkward behaviour of some individuals, who don’t know how to act in social settings.
The SA Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) has also weighed in on the matter and is urging parents, along with community leaders, to have frank conversations with their children about the dangers of sharing recordings of bullying incidents.
SADAG’s operations manager, Cassey Chambers, says the re-sharing of the violent events retraumatises victims.
SADAG is calling on schools and parents to take bullying seriously, warning that it could lead to bigger mental health struggles later in a child’s life if left unattended.
Chambers says when help is being offered to the victim of bullying – the child mistreating others mustn’t be left behind.
