Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini has said that the banning of corporal punishment in school has led to an increase in indiscipline in learning institutions, the local Times Live news site reports.
He made the comments on Tuesday at a meeting with school principals and administrators in northern KwaZulu-Natal, his seat of power.
King Zwelithini, who is the patron of education in the region, said that caning made “learners perform well”.
He added: “This thing of not disciplining our children is letting us down because children are not disciplined”.
Caning in schools in South Africa was banned in 1997. However, it continues in some schools in defiance of the law.
Last month, a video of a teacher caning a student was widely shared on social media.
Authorities promised to take “harsh action” against the teacher.
The king also condemned the recent shooting to death of a teacher in Gauteng province, the ecenomic heartland of South Africa.
“The death of one teacher is one too many. Teachers are also human beings,” he said.
“It’s important that if we set up commissions of inquiry because politicians are being killed, there must also be commissions for teachers as well,” he added.