• Cyberbullying has been identified as a challenge among the most at-risk Gauteng schools.
• Unlike other forms of bullying, cyberbullying is an ongoing process even after children leave the school area.
• This behaviour is common among grade 11 and grade 12 learners but it is difficult to identify culprits as they use fake accounts.

The government of Gauteng has identified a number of issues endangering children at schools across the Gauteng province and published them in a report on school safety in the province, with bullying highlighted often among the most at-risk schools in the province.

Within the report, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature explains how bullying, sexual assault, violence and substance abuse was rife with the 75 high risk schools that were studied in the province. Cyberbullying was also highlighted, as well as the difficulty in identifying the culprits that commit this act.

According to Rianette Leibowitz, founder of cyber wellness and digital parenting SafeTNet Cyber Safety, cyberbullying is distinct from other forms of bullying, “cyberbullying is an ongoing, intentional process of harming or embarrassing people using an online platform or platforms.”

In Gauteng schools such as Orange Farm Secondary, cyberbullying through “humiliating each other was common among grade 11 and 12 learners.” Finding the cyberbullies themselves was also a challenge as they would use fake accounts to avoid detection.

It is relatively easy to create a “fake account” across most popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and even WhatsApp to a lesser degree as it requires a phone number and not an email address.

Fake accounts can be followed by others in the school under the guise of sharing memes or other information and then be used to share explicit images of learners or humiliate learners within a group.

Last year it was discovered that a popular WhatsApp group at Pretoria Girls High School was being used to host allegedly racially-charged and discriminatory discussions about learners not present in the group.

The situation eventually culminated in the suspension of the school’s principal.

Cyberbullying was also noted as a concern for Reiger Park Secondary in Germiston, alongside other forms of bullying, sexual assault, substance abuse. According to the report, these were “linked to the social challenges within the community. Gangsterism was rife in the community and surroundings of the school.”

The bullying behaviour was linked to being a negative contributor to low esteem, learner performance, dropout rates and even gangsterism. Some of the younger learners were reportedly bullied into selling drugs.

In response to these challenges, Gauteng has been working to implement a number of recommended action points in efforts to stop some of the violence and negative behaviour at the schools. This includes the installation of more CCTV cameras, bringing in a large law enforcement presence at schools and educating learners in Life Orientation about bullying, cyberbullying, sexual assualt, harrassment and more.