Fears of crime and gang violence in the townships around Cape Town are prompting some parents to send their children on long daily commutes to safer schools in former white-only areas.
Sibahle Mbasana, whose sons Lifalethu and Anele previously attended a school in Khayelitsha, described armed thugs entering classrooms to threaten teachers and steal laptops. “Imagine your child experiencing this regularly. There’s hardly any security at the school,” she told the BBC.
Although apartheid ended over three decades ago, inequalities in education persist, with township schools often overcrowded, under-resourced, and affected by high crime rates. Mrs Mbasana moved her children, including seven-year-old daughter Buhle, to a state school in Simon’s Town, 40km away, which offers smaller class sizes and better facilities.
“My husband works in the navy in Simon’s Town, and I thought it would be safer for my children to attend school there,” she said. The move, however, requires the children to leave home as early as 4:30am and often results in long, exhausting days.
The challenges of township schools are well documented. Teachers at Zanemfundo Primary School in Philippi East reportedly faced extortion from gangs demanding a percentage of their salaries. The Western Cape Education Department has deployed private security and increased police patrols at the school, but similar incidents have occurred at other schools in Nyanga, Philippi, and Samora Machel.
Long commutes to suburban schools, once reserved for white students, are common for township children. At a state primary school in Observatory, about 85% of the 830 students come from townships, many traveling long distances to access better facilities. “Sometimes they fall asleep in class,” said vice-principal Donovan Williams.
Amnesty International highlights South Africa’s highly unequal school system, where outcomes depend heavily on a child’s location, wealth, and race. State schools are subsidised, but parents in wealthier areas often supplement funding, while township schools struggle with limited resources.
Recent budget constraints in the Western Cape led to the loss of 2,407 teaching posts, affecting mostly schools in poorer areas. The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) warned that these cuts worsen conditions in township schools, increasing class sizes and stressing teachers.
Experts point to the long-term impact of apartheid and subsequent fiscal limitations. Aslam Fataar, research professor at Stellenbosch University, said, “Poorer schools were never given a chance to develop a sustainable platform for teaching and learning. Political interest in township schools has waned, and teacher numbers continue to bear the brunt of cuts.”
For parents like the Mbasanas, the ongoing safety and resource challenges in township schools leave few options beyond sending their children to distant, better-resourced schools.
The situation underscores the continued disparities in South Africa’s education system, decades after the end of apartheid.
