A private security officer tries to restrain a pupil from Effingham Secondary School in Durban. Photo: Screengrab
Effingham Secondary School in Durban suspended classes on Friday after a fight allegedly broke out on the school grounds on Thursday amid unconfirmed racism allegations.
The school took to their Facebook page yesterday notifying the closure of school on Friday.
The post reads: “Due to the recent disruptive behaviour of learners school will be closed tomorrow.”
“Please note there will be an urgent parents meeting which will be held on Saturday 21 May 2022 at 09h00 in the school hall. The circuit manager will be addressing parents.”
This comes after videos of the pupils protesting outside the school went viral on social media. In a series of videos posted on Twitter on Thursday, Fidelity ADT security guards and Durban Metro Police officers can be seen dragging a pupil on the ground and pointing firearms at other pupils.
Another officer, who appears to be part of the Durban Metro Police, is seen pointing a firearm at a pupil who is attempting to get the guards to let go of the pupil they were dragging on the ground.
Calls to get comment from the Durban Metro Police went unanswered.
In a statement, Fidelity ADT said it responded to the scene after a fight broke out on the school grounds.
“Saps asked our officers to assist in restraining one of the learners involved in the fight,” it said. “It is important to note that our officer did not use excessive force, and was acting under the direction of the Saps.”
There is speculation on social media that the pupils were protesting against the school’s principal, who they accused of being involved in a racist incident.
When contacted, Effingham Secondary School refused to comment on the reason for the protest.
Earlier this week, racism allegations rocked Good Hope Seminary High School in Cape Town following an incident between two matriculants.
Matric pupils protested outside the school on Monday and Tuesday over an incident where an Indian pupil allegedly called a black girl a derogatory name.
The pupils also accused the school of not addressing racism and sexual harassment cases.
“When the incident was finally heard by the teacher who is in charge of us grade 12s, I think she swept it under the carpet.
“She was just taking sides in it… she took the other girl’s side who used the N-word on another black [pupil] at our school,” one of the pupils told eNCA on Tuesday.
ALSO READ: Racism allegations rock Cape Town school as SAHRC probes Stellenbosch incident
The matriculant pointed out that the pupils have been complaining about racism since 2018.
“We have had cases where our principal uses the word ‘darkie’ to black girls, where teachers refer to girls as looking like domestic workers, where black girls are told we shouldn’t be at the school [and that] we should go to the townships because we can’t speak Afrikaans,” she said.
NOW READ: Stellenbosch University: Student lays charges following ‘racist’ incident
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