Are initiations or "welcome" rituals for new team members allowed?
Rule- South Africa
- Department of Basic Education
- South African Schools Act
- Safety Measures Regulations 2006
- Public schools
- School sport
- Grade R-12
- 2024
- Teachers
- Coaches
No. Section 10A of the South African Schools Act (as amended by the BELA Act in 2024) says no person may conduct or take part in initiation practices against a learner at a school, during a school activity (any official educational, cultural, recreational or social activity of the school, on or off the premises), or in a school hostel.
What counts as an initiation practice: any act done as part of initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition of staying in a school, group, extramural activity or interschools sports team, which:
- endangers a person's mental or physical health or safety;
- treats some people as inferior to others;
- subjects people to humiliating or violent acts that undermine their dignity;
- undermines constitutional rights and values, or a culture of respect; or
- destroys public or private property.
Consequences
- Anyone who breaks the rule is guilty of misconduct, and disciplinary action must be taken under the learner code of conduct, the governing body code of conduct, or the Employment of Educators Act, as applicable.
- The learner can also bring a civil claim against the person or group who forced them to take part.
Updated 22 Oct 2026