Racism case leads to bitter exchange

THE Free State education department has condemned the South African Human Rights Commission as arrogant and desperately seeking publicity.

This comes in light of a statement from the commission last week following the employment of a teacher at the Dr CF Visser Primary School in Bloemfontein, who had to resign because of a racist incident.

Last week, commission spokesman Isaac Mangena said two years after the release of the report regarding racism in Free State public schools, the department had failed to provide the commission with guidelines on how they planned to put a stop to racism.

The department has fired back, accusing the commission of playing to the public by making unfounded allegations with the hope of getting “public relations” mileage.

In a statement, department spokesman Howard Ndaba said they were “dismayed ” by the conduct of the commission.

The department was “upset by the manner in which the Human Rights Commission has meted out [this] vitriolic attack on the department ... In their quest to gain public relations mileage they have to stoop so low and tell the whole country what is factually incorrect,” Ndaba said.

He also accused the commission of failing to verify information with the department before making their “reactionary” statements.

“The fact of the matter is that on more than one occasion the commission has demonstrated its reluctance and arrogance to work with us,” the department said.

“For example, when the allegation of racism at Dr Viljoen (school) was reported ... the commission made its investigation and when we requested to meet them to discuss their findings, they refused,” he said.

Ndaba said following the incident at Wilgehof Primary School, measures were put in place to fight racism.

Mangena has meanwhile called on the department to support its claim by providing documented proof.

“It would be helpful to both the commission and the public at large if the department provided us with documented proof of what is being done about racism in schools before shooting down our statement,” Mangena said.

Mangena also said he was not going to “entertain” allegations from the department that the commission was “arrogant” and trying to get public relations mileage.

“All we are asking of them is to provide us with proof on what they have done to deal with racism,” he said.