A group of just over 30 parents in Cape Town has come out in support of diversity trainer Asanda Ngoasheng, who opened “a racial can of worms” after a heated session about racism with learners at Fish Hoek High School.  

The group consists of parents of learners at more than 10 former Model C and private schools across Cape Town.

The parents said while they were not privy to what happened during the session at Fish Hoek High, schools, especially predominantly white schools, need to have regular discussions about racism.  

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Race relations report reveals how donors, alumni and interest groups hold Stellenbosch University hostage” 

Magali von Blottnitz, the spokesperson for the informal advocacy group Schools Must Change, said Ngoasheng needed to be supported as her work touches on race relations and privilege, something that brought discomfort to many, particularly in predominantly white communities. 

“This can lead to strong reactions that spin out of control, which in turn may result in the process itself being misidentified as the cause of these pre-existing wounds and divisions. 

“If we do not consciously commit to trusting the process and holding an open and non-defensive position, we run the risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater or halting the process before it can add value.” 

Daily Maverick reported earlier that an intervention to try to defuse racial division at Fish Hoek High School in Cape Town was suspended after parents complained that it fuelled racial tension and left learners traumatised. 

The intervention followed an earlier incident at Fish Hoek High School in May when an educator allegedly used racist terms during a lesson. Learners said they were offended and hurt by the statement, and reported it to the school management. The teacher apologised, but the learners said they felt the apology was not sincere and started a protest under the title “Enough is Enough”. Learners spoke out online about being on the receiving end of racism, homophobia and Islamophobia at the school.  

Following that incident, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) organised a diversity training programme for staff and learners at the school. 

“Those of us with white skin, having not experienced systemic racial oppression, can’t fully appreciate the pain it inflicts,” said Von Blottnitz. 

“We are also less aware of how easily racial tensions and divisions can be invisibilised and black voices silenced in predominantly white spaces.

“Therefore, even though we may have a perception that the places we live in are inclusive and free of oppression, we need to trust the voices that tell us how racism impacts them.”  

Fish Hoek High ‘diversity session’ highlights the crucial role of school governing bodies

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Following the uproar about the diversity training, the WCED suspended it and is considering taking legal action against Ngoasheng.  

“I have requested that Western Cape government legal services provide advice regarding legal options relating to the service provider’s conduct during the intervention, including whether there is scope for a civil claim for damages,” said Western Cape MEC for Education David Maynier. 

“We are taking the matter very seriously and a full investigation into the diversity intervention at Fish Hoek High School is under way. We must now focus on the learners writing exams, especially the matrics, and ensure exams proceed smoothly.”   

Ngoasheng declined to comment, but had earlier said teachers were not allowed into the session because it was they who were accused of racism.  

“As such, only we as the facilitators and a psycho-social team from the WCED were in the room for the facilitation in order to provide a safe space for victims of racism and other discrimination at the school. School counsellors, however, were allowed in sessions as people in the school community who could continue to hold space once the process was complete. Teachers themselves were undergoing their own diversity workshops, separate from the learner intervention.”  

The WCED could not say when its investigation would be completed, but Daily Maverick has established that it will be delayed due to learners writing exams.  

“We are all longing for reconciliation, yet we also believe that South Africans can only heal and reconcile once we do the hard and messy work of listening deeply to worlds outside our own and together finding new ways of relating with each other across differences,” said Von Blottnitz. 

Recently, News24 reported that a parent at the Highbury Preparatory School in Durban was up in arms after her child was called a monkey by fellow learners.  

And Daily Maverick reported on a race relations report which reveals how donors, alumni and interest groups hold Stellenbosch University hostage. The report, authored by retired judge Sisi Khampepe, arose out of two incidents at the university in May. DM