The Teddy Bear Foundation, represented by SECTION27, has confirmed that it has approached the High Court in Pretoria to seek action against key government departments. It alleges that they’ve neglected the National Child Protection Register.

The case stems from a 2022 incident in which a caretaker raped a learner in the North-West and authorities reportedly failed to hold the perpetrator accountable.

Senior Legal Researcher at SECTION27, Tendai Mafuma says, “Over the past two years or more, Section27 has been engaging with various departments who are responsible for maintaining and implementing the child protection register. What we found, particularly with the provincial departments of education, is that they’re not vetting the educators against the child protection register, and this is a legal requirement that all the provincial departments of education should vet them against the register.

“Current employees and potential employees need to make sure that they are not on the register because if they are, they’re not deemed suitable to work near children, meaning that they shouldn’t be in schools,” Mafuma adds.