A group of about 30 pupils from different schools in Gauteng are protesting outside the University of Johannesburg, Soweto campus, where Gauteng premier David Makhura is making his state of the province address.

The protest has been organised by Equal Education and they are asking Makhura to prioritise on Gauteng education. 

They are carrying placards which read: "No more corporal punishment", "We demand safety at our schools."

A 17-year-old grade 11 pupil at Zimisele Secondary School in Kwa Thema said they wanted to bring it to the attention of Makhura that at their school corporal punishment was still a means to discipline pupils. 

"At our school we find teachers who are still using a stick to discipline us. Another issue is that they don't provide us with toilet paper and we don't have sanitary bins at our toilets. All we ask is for the premier's intervention," she said.