Government department’s race hang-up exposed

It is beyond ironic that it’s ANC comrades who are violating the very labour laws their party instituted to ensure fair treatment of employees and particularly educators.

The Gauteng department of education (GDE) has refused to let the suspended principal of Pretoria High School for Girls, Phillipa Erasmus, return to work despite her three months’ precautionary suspension lapsing this week.

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According to the union representing Erasmus, that refusal goes against provisions of the Employment of Educators Act, which says the employer is only allowed to suspend a teacher for a maximum of 90 days… which has passed in this case.

The GDE has still not held a disciplinary hearing on its allegations that Erasmus had allowed racism to flourish in the school.

The Thabo Mbeki Foundation last month criticised the GDE for its entire handling of racism allegations at the school relating to chats in a WhatsApp group, finding there was no racism or hate speech involved.

Why has Erasmus not been allowed to go back to work, especially because she has not been found guilty or anything?

Is it perhaps because the GDE is embarrassed that its trumped-up claims of racism have exploded in its face and exposed its obsession with race at the expense of quality education?

ALSO READ: 12 Pretoria High School for Girls pupils found not guilty of racism