The Department of Basic Education is looking at ways to strengthen how teachers communicate with learners on WhatsApp and other social media platforms, amid growing concern over the boundaries between legitimate support and inappropriate contact.
The move comes as Parliament has raised repeated concerns over sexual misconduct involving educators and learners. The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education was told that the Education Labour Relations Council had recorded 469 cases of sexual misconduct involving educators between 2018/19 and 2024/25.
A Gauteng teacher is also under investigation following allegations of inappropriate WhatsApp communication with a 17-year-old learner.
The teacher at Minerva Secondary School in Alexandra was placed on precautionary suspension after allegations that communication with the learner, which began in June, included inappropriate advances.
The allegations sparked a learner protest at the school in August, with the Gauteng Education Department saying the matter had been escalated for investigation.
