Fresh probe launched into ‘racism’ at Pretoria school

Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane will launch an independent investigation into Pretoria High School for Girls to determine if a culture of racism exists there.

This is despite last week’s disciplinary hearing by the school governing body (SGB) which found that 12 pupils accused of racism were not guilty.

The pupils allegedly made racist remarks in a whites-only WhatsApp group about the dissatisfaction among black pupils regarding issues they faced at the school, saying that these were insignificant.

Gauteng department of education spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department respected the SGB’s decision.

‘Racism’ at school: ‘Insufficient evidence’ to substantiate charges

According to the report outlining the charges and ruling, the SGB found the implicated pupils not guilty of the charges of violence and bullying, disruptive behaviour and violation of school rules due to insufficient evidence.

“The report mentions a WhatsApp group whose discussions and exchanges were examined during the disciplinary hearing. These discussions were part of the evidence presented against the implicated pupils.

“According to the SGB, the content from the WhatsApp group was found to be inconclusive and did not substantiate the charges of violence, bullying or disruptive behaviour,” he said.

The school’s acting principal Danica Stoffberg said the hearings were conducted by a three-person panel of the SGB as per regulations and all 12 pupils had been found not guilty on all charges, including their prefect statuses.

Stoffberg said the proceedings were recorded in a formal report and handed over to the SGB.

Independent investigation

Speaking of the independent investigation, Chiloane said: “This decision is further motivated by the fact that the report of the SGB’s ruling makes no mention of racism or discrimination against pupils whereas there has been a strong presumption of the existence of such at the school.”

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Racism in SA

Political analyst Dr Benjamin Rapanyane said South Africa had been a victim of racism for many decades before 1994.

“Just 30 years into democracy, we are not expecting immediate results in terms of the eradication of racism. But we expect white people to at least act towards the right path,” he said.

Political analyst Piet Croucamp said many people had suggested the incident might not be racism and warned the department to be careful about coming to early conclusions before the matter was properly investigated.

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Treacherous divide

“If we divide ourselves between the k-word and Kill the Boer, it will be a difficult stand to be teaching children biodiversity complexity and race relations. We need to start somewhere else; we need reasonable voices to look at this properly,” he said.

Croucamp said the department may have stepped over the line.

Schools ‘a microcosm of society’

Political analyst Khanya Vilakazi said racism did not only exist in schools.

“Racism is focused a bit more in schools because they are a microcosm of society. When 1994 happened, there wasn’t a sustained effort by government to build a conscious and cohesive society,” he said.

Vilakazi said in Germany the education system taught about the Holocaust extensively.

“In our South African context, that never happened. We are always reminded of that during Reconciliation Day and Youth Day or national sports events when we rally together as a society.

“But beyond these, there’s no sustained effort from government to build a cohesive society,” he added.

Vilakazi said these incidents would continue because it has not been dealt with at grassroots level.

“Are we as a society building something for the future and making sure the next generation does not need to deal with such issues?” he asked.