Scores of EFF members staged a picket outside Hoërskool Riebeeckrand on Thursday, January 19 against alleged racism.
This comes amid allegations that learners who applied at the school were turned away due to the colour of their skin and that there’s a deliberate exclusion of African teachers at the school. The Herald was on site and upon arrival, people affiliated to the political party were carrying placards with different messages on which essentially called for an end to racism.
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Speaking to the Herald in an interview, EFF spokesperson in the West Rand Region Brian Makhaya said they will deal with any acts of racism decisively.
“We started a back-to-school programme because we know that a lot of parents are struggling to have their children admitted in most of the schools. This problem is experienced in many schools in South Africa. During this time, we came across parents here at Riebeeckrand being turned away, particularly African parents. They tried applying online and they were being sent away due to the colour of their skin. We will not stand for that. Not a single African child was admitted in this institution, let alone a single African teacher.
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“This is simply because they can’t pronounce Afrikaans words properly, so we took it upon ourselves because we cannot deny an African child education. Our actions here are aimed at ensuring that an African child is not deprived of an education and is given the right to be in a school of their choice,” said Makhaya, who added that they will not back down from their demands.
The Herald approached Hoërskool Riebeeckrand’s liaison officer Carina Collins who said they would rather not comment in detail at this stage.
“At this stage we are handling the situation as peacefully and civil as possible,” Collins said.
Meanwhile, members of the EFF together with the school’s management and affected parents were locked in a meeting during the picket to discuss the issue in detail.
The Herald will keep a close eye on developments and update accordingly.
