South Africa’s independent schools now have a new tool to vet teachers: a digital risk screening service that searches the open, deep, and dark web for potentially harmful information. The service, offered by Safehire.ai in partnership with the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA) and TPN Credit Bureau, provides schools with AI-powered background checks processed in the UK.
How the screening works
The system scans lawfully accessible public data, uses artificial intelligence to filter results, and has human analysts—trained in military intelligence—to review anything flagged as concerning. Schools receive a report within 24 hours, which they can use alongside traditional checks like police clearances and sex-offender registry reviews.
ISASA member schools get their first search free, with subsequent checks costing between $24 and $49 (about R400 to R800), depending on volume. The service is also being integrated into TPN’s existing platform, giving schools another way to access it. Safehire’s CEO, Simon Holden, noted that over 800 ISASA schools are part of the program, though he avoided calling them active users at this early stage.
Under South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), the school, not Safehire, holds legal responsibility for the screening. The company does not decide whether a school has a valid reason to run a check; that determination rests with the institution. Schools must document their justification for each search and provide candidates with transparency notices where required. Safehire can refuse or suspend a search if it identifies a significant legal or safeguarding risk.
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Legal and ethical boundaries
Candidates typically won’t see the screening report unless they request it through their POPIA rights. Safehire emphasizes that findings should not lead to automatic rejections; schools must allow candidates to respond before making decisions. The company also clarifies that it does not hack accounts, scrape private social media, or purchase illicit data. Information about a person’s sex life or sexual orientation is suppressed unless there is a documented, lawful reason tied to the screening purpose.
Holden stressed that political views are not considered a safeguarding risk, nor are unproven allegations treated as confirmed crimes. The company also avoids overstating its accuracy by not disclosing how often its AI flags are rejected by human analysts. Rejected flags never reach schools, so no corrections are needed later.
Data processed by Safehire is sent to the UK, where it is subject to protections “substantially similar” to POPIA, a provision allowed under section 72 of the Act. This approach mirrors broader debates across Africa, where data localization laws, like Nigeria’s cloud storage rules or Egypt’s real-time lending data requirements, are reshaping how personal information is handled.
Practical impact for schools and candidates
Safehire was founded by Holden, a former school bursar, and Sean Lumley, a South African-born co-founder of the cybersecurity firm CybSafe. The company has raised about $2 million in seed funding. Its effectiveness will depend on how widely ISASA schools adopt it, and whether candidates, whether informed or not, ever challenge the findings. For now, the service remains an optional tool in a broader effort to enhance safeguarding in independent education.
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