Twelve learners from the Pretoria High School for Girls have been suspended after the discovery of a WhatsApp group where white learners were allegedly making racial complaints about black learners.

SUSPENSION CONFIRMED

Gauteng Department of Education MEC Matome Chiloane said they are aware that the 12 learners were suspended in response to allegations of racism at the school. "On Thursday, 18 July 2024, the school alerted the Tshwane South District about a planned protest by a group of learners scheduled for Friday, 19 July 2024. This was triggered by alleged racial complaints about black learners, which were ventilated through a WhatsApp group comprised of white learners," Chiloane said. He added that the conversations allegedly included racial commentary about the ongoing dissatisfaction among black learners regarding issues they faced at the school, alluding to the issues being insignificant. "Similar commentary about a black hair protest by learners that reportedly took place at the school in 2016 was also made in the group chat," he said. 

URGENT MEETING

Chiloane said that an urgent meeting was facilitated on the same day as the planned protest and aggrieved learners were given the opportunity to voice their grievances. It's alleged that the learners repeated instances of racism with little to no action taken by the principal. "They further alleged non-responsiveness by the principal in addressing reported cases of racism. They also reported alleged bullying incidents not being addressed by the school management team. They also raised the alleged preferential treatment of white learners by the principal and some staff members, and lastly, the alleged selective application of the school code of conduct with harsher treatment for black learners compared to white learners," Chiloane added.

ALL ALLEGATIONS TO BE INVESTIGATED

Chiloane said the school governing body immediately suspended all implicated learners, and their disciplinary hearing is scheduled to take place on 30 and 31 July 2024. He further said that the district has launched an investigation to probe all mentioned allegations, especially against school employees accordingly. "A school environment where racism and discrimination are prevalent, whether covert or subtle, compromises the right to education in a safe and equitable environment for all learners," he said. Education activist Hendrick Makaneta has called on Pretoria High School to encourage dialogues on race and racism in order to uproot racism in some of our schools across the country. "There is no doubt that racism has long-term effects that can be devastating and, at times, can lead to depression and anxiety. Disciplinary action alone is not enough to root out racism in schools. We need to hold schools accountable for not doing enough to encourage empathy and mutual respect amongst learners," he said.In 2016, the school experienced the same protest march, which caught the attention of the international media about black learners complaining about being told to straighten their hair.