The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has recorded 22,020 reports of child abuse in schools between 2023 and 2026, including hundreds of cases involving rape and sexual assault. The department’s clinical counselling services recorded 3,960 reports of emotional abuse, 695 rape cases, 423 cases of sexual assault and 74 cases of sexual harassment. Dos Santos raised concerns over the department’s ability to provide information on how long investigations into child abuse cases take to complete. The department was also unable to provide information on the average time taken to complete child abuse investigations or the number of cases reported over the past decade. The figures highlight the scale of child protection concerns facing Gauteng schools and the importance of ensuring that reports are not only recorded but are also investigated and followed through to their conclusion.