Not just about hair -- it’s values, too
THIS week’s Pretoria High School for Girls hair protest highlighted how far South Africa is from being an inclusive nation bound by a common vision and values.
The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities said the issue was about “more than just hair”.
Chairwoman Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said: “Hair represents who you are, where you come from. You come into this relationship with your culture as well. It’s not just about the hair, but also about respecting people’s cultures, religions . . . language.”
Some schools did not let pupils shave their heads, but for “cultural purposes when someone dies at home your family might say you must all shave off your hair, which means the schools are not taking those cultural and religious dynamics into consideration”, she said.
“It’s OK for young people to say this is how we feel. That is how you claim your rights. We as adults need to sit down and say how do we resolve this . . . so . . . it never happens again.
“We are hoping our assistance could also be a means to educate teachers at affected schools on religious, cultural and constitutional dynamics of the different races in South Africa,” she said.
Protests at the Pretoria High School for Girls were sparked when black pupils were apparently told they were not allowed to wear their hair naturally. Some accused the school of having little tolerance for African languages. Similar protests sprang up in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
Johannesburg’s Parktown High School for Girls changed its policy, saying: “We made the decision yesterday [Monday] to amend our school’s hair policy, making it possible for all girls to attend school feeling comfortable with what they consider to be their natural hair.”
The Pretoria school would not speak to the media, saying the provincial education department had barred this.
Bonita Meyersfeld, director of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at Wits University, said the school’s policy was “atrocious”. She said a school’s code of conduct had to be balanced by the constitutional right to equality and the right to cultural heritage.
“The requirement imposed on black women has a financial implication as opposed to white girls who are able to tie their hair up with no implications. So if a child does not straighten her hair or not get braids then she is going to have an Afro.
“Apart from the financial imposition, that causes inequality between white and black girls. Celebration of identity and celebration culturally of black beauty suggests it has to be compared with white hair, and why should white hair be the benchmark?”
The Department of Basic Education said this week that it would review a law giving school governing bodies the power to impose rules. Troy Martens, spokeswoman for Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, said: “We need to ensure we continue to have open and effective dialogue around these issues as we move towards eradicating the prejudices of the past.”