MPs demand permanent bans for educators guilty of sexual misconduct

MPs have expressed great concern about the continued reappearance of educators implicated in sexual misconduct elsewhere in the education system, saying they should be permanently barred from teaching.

- STAFF REPORTER

There were also worries about the Department of Justice's manual submission system, internal capacity and delays resulting in the South African Council for Educators (SACE) registering applicants without feedback on their clearance certificate, with a signed declaration that they were never convicted of any sexual offences.

This emerged when the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) and the SACE briefed the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education earlier this week where MPs were told that between 2018/19 and 2024/25, the ELRC recorded 469 cases of sexual misconduct involving educators.

Of the 211 awards issued between 2021/22 and 2025/26, 176 educators were found guilty and 35 not guilty. The guilty findings were reported to the Department of Social Development and SACE for further processing.