The Limpopo Department of Education reported 11 bullying incidents for the same reporting period.
Bullying continues to escalate across South African schools, with three provincial education departments reporting a combined 382 incidents in 2025 so far.
The Eastern Cape Department of Education revealed 3 744 pupils that have been involved in bullying incidents so far this year, as it briefed the Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on Friday.
Students were affected across 157 schools, even though only 240 incidents were officially reported for 2025.
Eastern Cape: Bullying tops the list
Bullying remains the most common social ill in Eastern Cape schools, overtaking challenges such as sexual assault, lack of documentation, substance abuse, and suicidal attempts.
Breakdown of reported 2025 incidents:
- Quarter 1: 140 incidents involving 291 students
- Quarter 2: 3 incidents involving 257 students
- October: 100 incidents involving 196 students
- Total: 240 incidents involving 3 744 students
The department noted that schools are guided by the Guidelines in the Management of Bullying in Eastern Cape Schools, the National School Safety Framework, and their own codes of conduct.
“Schools must enforce their codes of conduct and apply clear disciplinary processes,” the department stressed.
To address the crisis, the province has deployed 800 Student Support Agents, 49 social workers, and 49 supervisors across districts.
Awareness campaigns on bullying, GBV, substance abuse and school safety are also underway.
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131 bullying cases and 6 teachers targeted
Mpumalanga confirmed 131 bullying cases involving pupils in the first two quarters of the 2025/26 financial year, along with six cases where teachers were victims.
Here is where most cases were reported per district:
- Bohlabela- 32 cases
- Ehlanzeni – 30 cases
- Gert Sibande- 36 cases
- Nkangala- 33 cases
“Bullying can take many forms, including tormenting, threatening behaviour, name-calling, hitting, punching and extortion,” the department told MPs.
Mpumalanga officials stressed that bullying extends beyond the playground and is increasingly fuelled by online behaviour.
“The department implements the National School Safety Framework (NSSF), which serves as an important instrument as it provides for a systematic guiding strategy to curb violence and enhance safety in schools,” it said.
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Limpopo: 11 recorded bullying cases this year
While both Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape reported triple-digit figures for bullying, the Limpopo Department of Education told Parliament it only had 11 reported bullying incidents.
One case was from cyberbullying, one emotional bullying case, one gender related bullying case, two homophobic cases, two racist cases, 0 physical bullying, and four violent bullying cases.
The department noted that many people in schools “do not understand what bullying really is” and often mistake it for assault, fighting, verbal abuse, or hate speech.
Limpopo reported that it has been running wide-ranging anti-bullying campaigns.
These included interventions conducted with police, the Department of Social Development, LoveLife and the Itsha-Mathivha Foundation across all 10 districts.
The department said 58 high-burden schools participated in its campaigns, reaching 7 500 pupils
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