A primary school teacher has been arrested for assault in connection with claims of corporal punishment at a school in Cape Town.  

The alleged incident is said to have taken place earlier this month, prompting a complaint by a parent and a subsequent criminal case. 

The 60-year-old teacher was arrested last Wednesday, days after the alleged incident at Zeekoevlei Primary School on 15 January. 

“A 60-year-old female was arrested on Wednesday, 21 January 2026, for assault,” confirmed Western Cape SAPS spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg.  

According to reports, the incident involved a grade 4 learner. Twigg noted that she was due to appear in the Wynberg Magistrates Court on Tuesday. 

A spokesperson with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), Bronagh Hammond, confirmed that the department is aware of the matter. 

“An alleged assault took place on 15 January. The teacher has been charged following a complaint by the parent,” said Hammond. 

Hammond said the department is running a parallel internal process alongside the police investigation.  

“The WCED instituted a labour relations investigation. We await the outcome of that investigation, while the criminal proceedings take place separately.” 

The arrest has renewed criticism from education activists who argue that cases of corporal punishment in schools are not being dealt with decisively enough.  

Parents for Equal Education South Africa founder, Vanessa Le Roux, questioned the response of prosecuting authorities.  

“The NPA is not doing enough to protect our children at this point…  This, we’re seeing in the Zeekoevlei matter because these children are terrified of this teacher. However, she didn’t even get to pay bail money or anything,” Le Roux claims. 

What is corporal punishment?  

Corporal punishment in schools is explicitly prohibited under South African law.  

The South African Schools Act makes it a criminal offence for any person to administer corporal punishment to a learner, with offenders liable to prosecution on a charge of assault.  

In an official document from 2002, the Western Cape Education Department defined corporal punishment as any deliberate act that causes pain or physical discomfort to a child. 

“This includes, but is not limited to, spanking, slapping, pinching, paddling, or hitting a child with a hand or with an object, denying or restricting a child’s use of the toiler, denying meals, drink, heat or shelter, pushing or pulling a child with force and forcing a child to do exercise,” the document read.