BASIC Education Minister Angie Motshekga has urged schools to take action against bullying, saying bullies left unchecked risked becoming abusers in the future.

Motshekga was speaking at the launch of the Stop Rape Campaign at Glendale High School in Mitchells Plain outside Cape Town.

President Jacob Zuma, Motshekga and her deputy Enver Surty signed the Stop Rape pledge at the school with more than 1200 students in attendance.

Many of those children in attendance would not have been much older than 17-year-old Anene Booysen of Bredasdorp, who was raped, mutilated and murdered on February 2.

Motshekga said the Stop Rape Campaign, an initiative of Lead SA, was important and that the government was not only concerned about violence and rape.

"In our country, bullying in our schools is very high ... this campaign will help to focus on violence in our schools," she said.

She said the culture of violence in schools must end. "The bullies of today will become the abusers of tomorrow."

Zuma said South Africa had to unite to act against attacks on women and children, and that while all crime was down there had been an increase of over 64000 cases of rape which had been reported to the police in 2011/2012.

Lonwabo Mavuso, 15, a Grade 10 pupil at the school, said abuse against women was part of his daily life in the township.

"Women are beaten for the most trivial reasons. I've seen a lot in my community where a man would take out his frustration on his wife or girlfriend."