Our schools are not safe. And the people in power are not doing enough to change that.
We are Peer Protect — a youth-led anti-bullying initiative founded in Cape Town, South Africa. We are writing this petition on behalf of every learner who has been beaten, humiliated, filmed, and silenced. On behalf of every parent who sent their child to school and waited for them to come home. On behalf of every teacher who reported an incident and was ignored.

School bullying in South Africa is not just a playground problem. It is a systemic crisis. Learners are being assaulted, traumatised, and in some cases killed — and our government has no coordinated national response.

We have seen it at Leiden High School. At Milnerton High. At Maritzburg College. At A.W. Barnes Primary School. We saw it in the Meyerton High School case that shook the nation — and we are still waiting for answers. What happened? Were charges laid? Was the school ever held accountable? Families are still waiting.

On 11 June 2026, a learner was killed at Bellville South High School in the Western Cape. This is a MURDER CASE. A child went to school and did not come home. We demand full transparency on the murder investigation, the criminal proceedings, and what the Western Cape Department of Education has done in response. We will not allow this to be buried.

We are also demanding answers on the cases of Bafana Sithole and Sandisa Myeza — cases that made headlines and then disappeared from public conversation, while victims and their families are still waiting for justice.
What do all of these cases have in common? The silence that followed. Bullies' parents offering no apologies. Schools offering no accountability. Government issuing no action plans. This tells our children one thing: that their pain does not matter.
We are here to say — it matters. They matter. And we will not stop until the government acts.

WE ARE DEMANDING:

1. Formally declare school bullying a national crisis — just as Gender-Based Violence was declared — with the same level of coordinated, funded, government-wide response.

2. Introduce and enforce a mandatory National Anti-Bullying Policy across all public schools, with clear reporting procedures, timelines, and real consequences.

3. Establish a national bullying incident register so that patterns across provinces are tracked and acted upon.

4. Require every school to have a trained, dedicated safeguarding officer who is legally accountable for learner protection.

5. Ensure SAPS treats assault and murder cases involving learners with dedicated, serious protocols — not dismissal.

6. Hold school governing bodies, principals, and district officials legally accountable when incidents are mishandled or covered up.

7. Launch a national youth-led awareness campaign addressing bullying, bystander responsibility, and the role of parents.

8. Publicly respond to all cases named in this petition within 90 days of receiving it.

Every child deserves to walk through those school gates without fear. Every voice deserves to be heard. Every future deserves to be protected.

Sign this petition. Share it. Make them listen.