This is one of the lessons informing the 2026 100-Day Challenge at Gert Sibande TVET College’s Skills Academy. The team entered this cycle with experience from its previous challenge, when it worked with primary and secondary school learners as well as the college community. During that period, 55 GBVF-related cases were reported, with some proceeding to court, while the team also accompanied victims and survivors through court processes.
The number of cases being reported was significant, but it also gave the team reason to look beyond reporting itself. If learners are encouraged to approach the adults around them, those adults need enough knowledge to receive a disclosure and respond appropriately.
The teacher cannot simply be left to figure it out
A learner may arrive at school after experiencing abuse at home and disclose directly to a teacher. In other cases, a teacher may notice changes in behaviour that suggest something is wrong. Through its previous work, the team found that teachers did not always feel equipped to respond because some were uncertain about their responsibilities and others were concerned about becoming involved in processes they did not fully understand.
That uncertainty has consequences. Asking children and young people to report assumes that the person on the receiving end knows what should happen next. This year, the Skills Academy team has therefore expanded its work to include teachers and School Governing Bodies (SGBs), using capacity-building sessions to unpack reporting procedures and the responsibilities attached to them.
One area that needed explanation was Form 22. Some teachers understood completing the form to mean that they could become personally responsible for managing the case or repeatedly attending court. The sessions have helped explain how a report moves to the relevant services and how information about the progress of a case can return to the school. According to the team, teachers have responded more positively as they have gained a better understanding of the process.
Reporting needs somewhere to go
The same question extends beyond teachers because no school can respond to GBVF on its own. The college is working with stakeholders from social development, health, education, local government, victim support and rehabilitation services, alongside traditional structures and correctional services.
The team has also changed how these partners work together. During the previous challenge, several organisations could arrive at the same engagement with similar presentations. This year, responsibilities are being divided more deliberately, allowing stakeholders with the relevant expertise to lead particular discussions while others contribute where necessary.
This approach has informed engagements with teachers at Soguma and Lindalanga primary schools as well as broader community mobilisation. The team has also added male and family dialogues to its implementation plan as the work continues into December.
Reporting cannot become the point at which responsibility is handed back to the person who has disclosed. The experience of the Skills Academy team is drawing attention to what needs to exist around that moment. Adults who understand their responsibilities, stronger coordination between services and a process that can continue once the disclosure has been made.
Gert Sibande TVET