Classroom CCTV cameras spark teacher boycott at Durban school
Learning was halted at the uMkhumbane Secondary School, in Mayville, Durban, when teachers boycotted classes opposed to the installation of CCTV cameras in the classrooms. In this file picture the learners were locked out following a sex scandal at school.
Image: Independent Newspapers Archives
TEACHING and learning at uMkhumbane Secondary School in Mayville ground to a halt this week as a bitter dispute over classroom surveillance led to a mass teacher boycott.
For most of the week, learning was suspended after 20 teachers refused to enter classrooms following the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. The security upgrade, intended to bolster safety, has instead sparked a departmental crisis.
According to a source with intimate knowledge of the school’s operations, Principal Ntokozo Ngobese, acting in agreement with the School Governing Body (SGB), moved to install the cameras in mid-2025. The decision was reportedly prompted by a surge in theft incidents among learners in classrooms.
The notice of an urgent parents meeting from the uMkhumbane Secondary School in Mayville, Durban, following a teachers' boycott which halted learning and teaching at the school this week.
Image: Supplied
"The move was a response to frequent incidents of theft among learners," the source explained. "Items like uniforms, jerseys, lunchboxes, and calculators were constantly going missing. The SGB agreed that cameras were the most effective way to deter this behaviour and identify culprits."
However, the intervention has been met with fierce resistance from the teachers. On Monday and Tuesday, nearly two dozen teachers refused to go into the classrooms, alleging that the cameras were installed without their consent or consultation. The disgruntled group has now escalated their demands, calling for Ngobese to be suspended or transferred from the school.
On Tuesday afternoon, an urgent notice was circulated to parents, convening a meeting for Wednesday to resolve the fallout. The goal was to restore the "culture of learning and teaching" as soon as possible.
When approached for comment on Thursday, SGB member Nomonde Mtumtum acknowledged the ongoing efforts to mediate the crisis but stated she was "locked in back-to-back meetings" resolving the impasse at the time.
However, when contacted yesterday, Mtumtum could not be reached for comment on what was agreed upon in the follow-up meeting on Thursday.
Most parents who responded to the notice expressed confusion about how the presence of cameras in class could disturb teachers. Some parents expressed gratitude for the cameras in eliminating incidents of bullying and theft of uniform and stationery among learners. Others were worried about learners falling behind on the syllabus due to the teachers' boycott.
The school achieved a 100% pass rate in matric last year under Ngobese who has been at the helm for 20 years.
The Sunday Tribune understands that during Wednesday evening's meeting, parents rejected the removal of cameras, and it was agreed that department representatives will consult the teachers.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education spokesperson Mlu Mtshali said that installing cameras in the classrooms has assisted them both as a deterrent and as a source of evidence in criminal investigations of theft and school vandalism. However, as the department, he said they are open to hearing the teachers' concerns and hopefully finding a way to address the safety concerns without creating privacy violations.
"In principle, we know that the cameras were installed to increase security in schools. We know that schools have been targeted for the educational technology rolled out by the department and its partners," says Mtshali.
"We will engage the district and the school and relevant stakeholders regarding the cause of the disruption," he added.
Mtshali also highlighted that this is a developing situation and they will need time to resolve it. The SGB is expected to hold a follow-up meeting today.