Radhanath Temple of Understanding’. These places serve as a reminder of the fundamental cultural and religious backgrounds of the people in the Chatsworth area.
4.3.1 Gender Violence in Chatsworth
There are continuous reports of violence perpetrated in and around the Chatsworth community. Parry and Gordon (2020) draw attention to the increase in the number of domestic violence cases, particularly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Parry and Gordon (2020) acknowledged mandatory lockdowns and quarantine procedures, but also specified the challenges individuals and communities faced, namely unemployment, and feelings of immobilisation and emasculation. Local newspaper headlines in 2020 read:
‘Chatsworth man accused of killing wife over decision to divorce’ and ‘Pregnant mom found dead “strangled” in Chatsworth’. Parry and Gordon (2020) claim that high levels of violence perpetrated against women are cemented in patriarchal attitudes that often favour men over women. These attitudes combined with aggravating circumstances such as substance abuse, unemployment, and crowded homes lead to an environment that is five times more likely to end in violence or murder (Stats SA, 2018a). The occurrences of violence in the Chatsworth community can be directly linked to feelings of powerlessness and associated with the use of violence as a coping mechanism.
In light of this, the Chatsworth community has also implemented initiatives to provide safety and shelter to victims of gender-based crimes. One such initiative belongs to Meela Bangtu, the principal of the Aryan Benevolent Home (ABH), a registered non-profit organisation (NPO) that cares for children, elderly, and physically or mentally disabled people, and which now extends its care to victims of gender-based crimes. In an interview with the Rising Sun, Bangtu stated that the ABH affords shelter to 87 children, most of whom exhibit challenging behaviours (Naidoo, 2020). Gopal and Marimuthu (2014, p. 79) state that young boys display more aggressive tendencies than girls, and some tend to become involved in violent crimes such as malicious damage of property, assault, and rape. This finding exposes gender power inequalities that exist between adolescent boys and girls, and demonstrates the manifestation of violence from a young age. Despite the prevalence of gender-based violence perpetrated against women and children, reports of violence perpetrated against gender and sexual diverse identities remain scarce in the Chatsworth area.
4.3.2 The research site
Eden Primary and Ale Primary (pseudonyms), both located in the Chatsworth area, although in two different units, were selected as the research sites for this study. The two neighbouring primary schools are only 1,2 km apart. Since they are in close proximity to one another, there are a number of similarities between the two schools. For instance, both are public primary schools situated in the fourth quintile. The South African education sector is categorised into the private and public domain; the public domain is further sub-divided into quintiles (Van Dyk & White, 2019). A school situated in the fourth quintile can be categorised as a feepaying school, well-off, and stationed in an affluent community (Van Dyk & White, 2019). The facilities available to both schools include developed libraries, computer rooms, outdoor play areas, and access to community facilities, such as the Chatsworth Athletic Stadium, where each school hosts fund raising events to sustain its infrastructure. Table 1 below captures the close similarities between Eden and Ale Primary.
Table 1: Details of Eden and Ale Primary
Eden Primary Ale Primary
Principal:
Head of Department:
Total number of teachers:
Gender:
Race: Total number of learners:
Mrs. Naidoo (pseudonym) 2
16
14 (f) and 2 (m)
African (1) and Indian (15) 462
Mr. Motley (pseudonym) 2
18
16 (f) and 2 (m)
African (1) and Indian (17) 439
Both schools accommodate Grade R to Grade 7 learners, with teachers managing classroom sizes of 25 to 40 learners. Core subjects at the schools include English Home Language, IsiZulu or Afrikaans First Additional Language, Mathematics, and Life Skills. Teachers from both schools also act as facilitators to extra-curricular activities, such as soccer, mini-cricket, table tennis, and netball. All teachers selected for this study are qualified and employed either by the South African Education Department or the School Governing Body (SGB).
Chatsworth Primary Schools came under siege in March 2020 when parents and educators from KZNs communities took to the streets to oppose CSE. Protestors comprising of parents and teachers voiced their grievances with the DoEs announcement to implement scripted sex education lesson plans into the Grade 4 to 12 curriculum.
A primary school principal shared his view with the tabloid, Post, stating that he feared that his staff were not equipped to handle such topics and believed that workshops were simply
not enough to empower teachers to comfortably address such topics (Khan, 2020). In response to public concerns, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) clarified that in-service training on subjects like Life Skills and Life Orientation have been present since the year 2000, with detailed training manuals as well as scripted lesson plans for sexuality education (Khan, 2020).
Since I have had teaching experience in multiple Chatsworth schools, I also witnessed discussions on ‘the inappropriate nature of the sexuality curriculum’.
Having provided contextual background into the research context and the research sites, attention will now shift to the sample and recruitment plan undertaken to meet the anticipated research objectives. It is important to note that the COVID-19 pandemic that wrought havoc in South Africa and across the globe, held me to ransom. However, with the easing of lockdown restrictions after some time, I was able to continue with the data collection process. In what follows, I explain my recruitment plan as well as document the changes that were implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic.