Fear and learning: Learners’ experiences of school violence at a primary school in a township

Abstract

School violence remains part of daily life in many South African township schools, particularly in areas such as the Cape Flats, where poverty and inequality are deeply rooted. Children live with this reality every day, yet their voices are often absent in research on school safety. This study aimed to explore how younger learners experience and make meaning of school violence in their daily school life. A phenomenological qualitative approach was employed. Five learners, four girls and one boy, aged 12 to 13 years, from Grades 6 and 7 at a primary school in Samora Machel Township, Cape Town, within the Metro South Education District, were purposively selected because they had directly experienced school violence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in English and isiXhosa. The study was framed by Noddings’ Ethics of Care and the African philosophy of Ubuntu. The findings revealed four themes: fear as a daily reality, silence and mistrust, the normalisation of aggression, and hidden resilience through acts of care. Learners described living with constant fear in classrooms, toilets, and on their way to school. They spoke about reporting incidents to teachers and being ignored, which led to silence and mistrust. Aggression was described as normal, where fighting, bullying, shouting, and physical punishment were part of everyday school life. At the same time, learners practised care by protecting siblings, warning friends of danger, walking together for safety, and comforting one another. The study argues that safer schools cannot be achieved solely through rules and policies. They require listening to children, recognising their voices as knowledge, and placing dignity, trust, and care at the centre of daily school life. By amplifying the voices of younger learners, this study shows that children are not powerless, but actively practise care and resistance within violent spaces.