MEC to probe racism allegations at Pretoria girls’ school
GAUTENG Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi is to investigate the allegations of racism raised at Pretoria Girls’ High School after pupils there said they were subjected to verbal abuse and discrimination for wearing their hair in its natural form.
Yesterday, Lesufi visited the school during break and was met with chants of “we are tired, we are tired” by hundreds of black pupils after Twitter user Gugulethu Mhlungu alerted him to the hashtags #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirls and #PretoriaGirlsHigh, which trended on Sunday night and yesterday.
Lesufi met the school’s management and was due to meet the governing body yesterday. His spokesman, Oupa Bodibe, said the department would make sure it addressed the issue “in its entirety”.
Bodibe said the school will be given adequate time to respond and the matter “won’t be resolved by shortcuts”.
“Some of the allegations still need to be clarified.”
Pretoria Girls’ High principal Karen
du Toit declined to comment on the matter.
Lesufi was accompanied by officials from the national and provincial departments of basic education after the students wrote a petition to the MEC’s office requesting intervention over “racist” incidents, which they said were rampant at the school.
The DA’s spokeman on education in Gauteng, Khume Ramulifho, said policies that unfairly discriminated against people were “unconstitutional and do not have a place in our democratic dispensation”. The pupils claim they have been subjected to years of racism at the school.
Ramulifho said the DA implored parents and school governing bodies to “partake in the policy review process and to bring these issues to the fore”.
The code of conduct for pupils at the school did not specifically outlaw afros. It states all styles should be conservative, neat and in keeping with the school uniform.
“No eccentric/fashion styles will be allowed,” the code says.
The hairstyle policy notes hair must be brushed, neatly tied back if long enough, be kept off the face, and no dyeing, bleaching, colouring or shaving is permitted.
“Cornrows, natural dreadlocks and singles/braids (with or without extensions) are allowed, provided they are a maximum of 10mm in diameter. Singles/ braids must be the same length and be the natural colour of the girls’ hair.”
During Lesufi’s visit, the girls recounted several instances of teachers telling them their hair was “untidy”.
One pupil said: “A teacher called me a monkey.”
Another said: “She said my hair looks like a bird’s nest. She said my hair was untidy, but I take time every morning to make up my hair. I do not see anything wrong with my hair.”