Gauteng education department ‘disappointed’ as 12 Pretoria High School for Girls learners cleared

Police patrol outside Pretoria High School for Girls during a 2016 solidarity protest by pupils against alleged racism and intimidation at the school. (Photo: Deaan Vivier / Gallo Images)

By Nonkululeko Njilo

2 Aug 2024

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A probe into allegations of racism at the prestigious Pretoria High School for Girls has found in favour of 12 pupils who were initially suspended for statements made in a “whites-only” WhatsApp group that had racial connotations and displayed microaggressions .

The Gauteng department of education has expressed disappointment at the outcome of a disciplinary hearing at Pretoria High School for Girls which reportedly found that 12 of 13 pupils suspended in connection with allegations of racism have been found not guilty of misconduct.

The 13th pupil, who is black, was suspended on Thursday, but her case is yet to be addressed. Of the 12 pupils, eight were removed as prefects and will now be reinstated into their leadership roles, according to a few parents from the school.

The disciplinary hearing by the school's governing body took place this week. Parents said they were informed of the decision on Friday via a notice from the school.

Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said: “As a department, we are quite disappointed about the way in which the school treated us; I mean you would understand that they know this matter has been in the public face and we do not even have an official report on the outcome of their disciplinary processes. So our problem is that why would we not be given a report but we will await for the official report, once we have that, we will then pave a way forward…”

The charges against the pupils have not been made public nor have the findings of the disciplinary hearing. The department had indicated that the 12 pupils allegedly complained about black pupils in a “whites-only” WhatsApp group and made statements that had racial connotations and displayed microaggressions

Read more: ‘Heartbreaking,’ says Pretoria Girls High parent in fresh racism scandal

School racism Police patrol outside Pretoria High School for Girls during a 2016 solidarity protest by pupils against alleged racism and intimidation at the school in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo: Deaan Vivier / Gallo Images)

Several black pupils who spoke to Daily Maverick on condition of anonymity due to fear of victimisation said they had seen leaked messages from the “whites-only” group suggesting that they wanted “special treatment”, are allowed to get away with things, including “having afros and dying hair” and that they should “get over apartheid” or South Africa would never move forward.

The decision to absolve the pupils comes just three days after Education MEC Matome Chiloane visited the school and told journalists that his department needed to set a precedent following the incident.

“I can’t shy away from the fact that racism is a problem and racism is up there with some of the worst forms of crimes that can happen…”

“I can’t be coming here to deal with this again. So, that’s why this time we are firming our hand, so the message goes out there that racism will not be tolerated in our schools in any way,” he said on Tuesday.

Parents also called for a harsh punishment for the girls involved.

The school was historically attended by whites only, but began admitting black children after the end of apartheid in 1994. At least two other racial incidents have rocked the school. In 2016, it made international headlines when pupils staged a protest against a long-standing rule, which saw them having to chemically straighten their hair because afro hairstyles were considered untidy.

At the time of the 2016 incident, former education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said he wanted to arrest the situation before it got out of hand. Now, eight years later, the school finds itself in the same situation.

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week the mood was somber as the school’s governing body held the disciplinary hearings, which were attended by the pupils, parents and legal representatives.

Outside the school was a hive of activity as political activists protested, some calling for the closure of the school, some for harsher sanctions for the suspended pupils and some for the axing of the principal, Phillipa Erasmus.

Hours later Chiloane said the department had taken a decision to put Erasmus on a three-month precautionary suspension.

Chiloane said preliminary investigations into claims of racism at the school revealed that the principal failed to act after being informed in 2023 of an alleged whites-only WhatsApp group where apparent racist messages were circulated.

Another racist incident recently took place in Western Cape’s Pinelands High School, where a group of Grade 8 pupils were suspended following a video that had gone viral on social media titled “slavery at schools is crazy”, and shows black students in a cage while their coloured peers bid for them.

In the video, some pupils are seen “bidding” R100,000, which they would pay using Bitcoin. The video has since sparked outrage.

The South African Human Rights Commission is investigating both incidents.

When contacted by Daily Maverick by email earlier this week, the Pretoria High School for Girls referred all queries to the Gauteng education department. Calls to the landline on Friday afternoon went unanswered. DM

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