‘You’re too smart for a black person’: One of many shocking racism claims at Cornwall Hill

Black pupils at Cornwall Hill College claimed on Monday they have had their hair compared to steel-wool used for scrubbing pots, while another said she was told by a teacher that she was “too smart for a black person”.

The pupils and their parents staged a protest against allegations of racism at the private school in Centurion on Monday morning, which prompted Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi to meet with the school’s management.

The pupils felt they were not being treated equally to their white peers, with Grade 11 pupil Singo Ravele saying they experienced a lot of “micro-aggressive racism” and racist comments from teachers.

Speaking in tears from the podium, Ravele recalled her first racist encounter at the school, when she was only in Grade 4.

“I was happily on my way to break when a teacher stopped me and had this big frown that encompassed her whole face and swallowed me whole. She looked me dead in the eyes and said: ‘Your hair is unpresentable. It is messy and it is not the Cornwall way.’ She also proceeded to tell me I would look better if I chemically straightened my hair,” said an emotional Ravele.

Pupils at Cornwall Hill College protested against racism at the private school in Irene this morning. Babalo Ngoma, a Grade 11 learner, said she was once told she’s too smart for a black person after winning an academic award. #CornwallHillCollege pic.twitter.com/Ok05Vsxyiw

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— Rorisang Kgosana (@therealrorisang) May 31, 2021

Speaking to The Citizen, she said teachers would often tell black pupils to “act accordingly”.

“The teachers say things like ‘you people’ or ‘you guys are so loud – this is not a shebeen. We are not in the ghettos,’ and that we should ‘act accordingly’. When we were younger, they would tell us our hair is like steel-wool that you use to scrub pots. These are the comments we get in Cornwall,” she told The Citizen.

Another pupil, Babalo Ngoma, said racism would often be defended by teachers and management.

“I was once told I am too smart for a black person when I got an academic award. It’s that association that black equals stupidity. When we complain about such comments, they would defend it and say ‘but they didn’t mean it like that’,” she said.

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Addressing the school among protesting pupils holding up placards, Lesufi said the obsession with black people’s hair should stop.

“One thing I want to emphasise to the leadership of this school – stop this obsession with the hair of our children. We are all human beings and all of us deserve to be happy. We don’t want when we enter the premises of this school that we are reminded of our history.”

While the parents had raised racism issues to the school last year through an addendum with testimonies by pupils and former pupils, Lesufi said he only received a formal complaint last week.

Looking at transformation in Curro’s private schools following complaints of racism, the MEC said he was hopeful Cornwall Hill College would do the same.

Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi is seen addressing Cornwall Hill College students protesting against allegations of racism at the school, 31 May 2021, Centurion. Picture: Jacques Nelles

“The history that I had with Curro … these things are possible and can be done. I rank Curro among those schools that have gone beyond problems of racism or lack of transformation. We are here to play that role – to persuade the parties to go to the negotiation tables.”

The school has already apologised for the delay in transformation.

Primary school principal Maurice Dicks said they would commit to moving with speed and determination.

“Allow me to sincerely apologise on behalf of myself and the school’s executive for the delay in transforming Cornwall Hill College.

“While we can confirm that we were highly disturbed by the addendum we received in 2020, admittedly, we could have done more. Although we immediately moved to establish the diversity and transformation committee, a subcommittee of the board, last year, we could have done better. In retrospect, we could have moved faster,” said Dicks.

rorisangk@citizen.co.za