Violence in South African schools has claimed the lives of a number of children in recent years, while many more have been hospitalised with injuries. In one of the latest incidents, a 15-year-old boy was beaten by a fellow pupil at a high school in Florida, a relatively well-off suburb of the country's economic hub, Johannesburg. Shaun Erasmus was left with a gaping wound on his face, and also had his nose broken in two places; doctors had to operate to repair the damage. According to newspaper reports, the parents of the attacker said that Erasmus had sworn at their child, prompting the attack.

Elsewhere, children have been mortally wounded by knife wielding learners who attend school with them. Moegamat Kannemeyer (15) died after being attacked by a group of pupils while he was walking home from school. The child death rate due to violence in the country's schools is 60 percent higher than the global average, according to a study by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) -- 'Report of the Public Hearing on School-based Violence'. From interviews conducted by the SAHRC, it was found that one out of every four children said they had experienced violence at school. The climate of aggression in schools also manifests itself in other ways. The SAHRC report indicates that in certain places of learning, children have been seen in the playground shouting "Rape me, rape me," and "Hit me, hit me."