The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA) has condemned calls by anti-immigration groups to target, audit or disrupt public schools in an effort to remove foreign teachers from classrooms across the country.
NAPTOSA Executive Director Basil Manuel described actions that threaten the safety of classrooms as completely irrational, unlawful and unacceptable, emphasising that schools must remain safe havens for learning.
Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, Manuel said NAPTOSA does not support illegal immigration but will not encourage the forceful removal of educators from classrooms.
“Are they (foreign teachers) illegal immigrants?” asked Manuel.
Manuel said educators employed in the South African education system have the necessary documentation and are legally in the country, adding that “with that comes the right to work”.
“We can’t simply have people calling for foreign teachers to leave because that’s vigilantism.
“I believe, and I agree, that undocumented people must follow the proper legal channels.
“I’m not in support of anybody breaking the law, for whatever reason. Vigilantism is breaking the law.
“That responsibility must be left to the relevant authorities, including the police, the Border Management Authority, Home Affairs officials and other law enforcement agencies,” said Manuel.
NAPTOSA has argued that suitably qualified local educators must be prioritised for any available job opportunities.
“I think, by and large, our local teachers receive first preference because there are hundreds of schools that do not have foreign teachers.
“I don’t want to create the impression that there are large numbers of foreign teachers, but I do acknowledge that there are foreign teachers working in our schools.
“I know that in Limpopo, for example, there are several foreign teachers teaching Mathematics, which is a scarce skill.
“We can’t simply replace teachers willy-nilly when we have unemployed local teachers,” Manuel explained.
Meanwhile, civil organisation and anti-immigration group Operation Dudula alleged in March this year that more than 3,000 foreign educators are employed in public schools across the country.
“Official data shows that 3,240 foreign teachers worked in South African public schools in 2025.
“Gauteng had 717, Mpumalanga 728, and KwaZulu-Natal 706, while more than 12,000 qualified local teachers remain unemployed and thousands of teaching posts are vacant,” the Operation Dudula statement read.
