‘Trauma of racism’ at elite schools

A culture of intolerance and systemic racism is hidden behind the pristine walls of some of the country’s most prestigious schools, according to some ex-pupils.

The group of young, black women attended St Anne’s College in KwaZulu-Natal and St Stithians College in Johannesburg.

Some current and former pupils at St Anne’s College have compiled a document detailing several incidences of racial slurs in class, racist utterances and actions of teachers and fellow pupils at the school.

Katekile Dakile, 20, said her four years at the school were traumatic for her and many of the proportionally few black girls who attended with her.

Many of the things that happened could have affected the school’s reputation, so they made sure nobody was allowed to comment in the media to ensure their reputation was not harmed, Dakile said.

“So we would often keep quiet about things that we experienced there on a daily basis.

“We have decided it’s time to break the silence and ask St Anne’s to hold itself accountable for the trauma it inflicted on young, black girls and the trauma they failed to protect girls from.”

The school management has responded, but despite claiming to be reaching out, had not directly addressed the aggrieved group of girls. “Our immediate response as a school was to avoid being defensive or legalistic in our response to those accusations, despite the fact that a number of them are devoid of truth and, in certain instances, defamatory,” said school head David Arguile.

St Stithians has publicly responded to accusations of racism, committing to address the highlighted issues. But former pupil Sanda Nyoka said she, too, lived with memories of racism at the school that she could never erase.