We choose to investigate physical punishment because we think that it is relevant and almost always a current subject in our role as teachers. A part of our purpose with our degree project was to win an increased understanding for other people’s situation in life and culture. Our main question is the following: - What are the pupils and teachers views on physical punishment in Lingelihle, South Africa? Our other questions: - How does physical punishment affect children? - What kind of parents beat their own children for upbringing purposes? To get our questions answered we choose literature studies and interviews as our investigation method. During our journey with the University of Karlstad to a township called Lingelihle, in South Africa, we held lessons in a school in the township and it was also where we did our interviews. During our stay in the township we lived with a family and we got to see physical punishment in action. Our report resulted in very interesting and frightening facts about the South African school. Even though physical punishment is illegal in South Africa it is still practiced in the school where we did our interviews. In the conclusion section it is clear that the teachers at this school have very different understandings of what occurs and what does not occur at the school concerning physical punishment. In the interviews certain facts came to light, for instance that poverty and abuse of drugs and alcohol contributes to physical punishment in the homes and that this leads to that pupils, who live under these conditions, act out at school and causes problems there as a cry for help. During our interviews with the pupils it became clear that physical punishment is a fact at this school. The interviews also showed that it is more common for male pupils to be exposed to physical punishment than female pupils.