Pretoria Girls racism row — criticism pushes Lesufi to call urgent meeting

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has scheduled an urgent meeting to address the handling of racism allegations at Pretoria High School for Girls.  

This decision comes amid intense criticism of the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), its MEC Matome Chiloane, and spokesperson Steve Mabona, who had previously taken a vocal and proactive approach to the allegations in July 2024.

The allegations initially involved 12 girls who were in a “whites-only” WhatsApp group where messages that had alleged racial connotations and displayed alleged microaggressions were allegedly circulated. A 13th pupil was later suspended.

The department swiftly put the school principal Phillipa Erasmus on a three-month precautionary suspension. At the time of her suspension, Chiloane said preliminary investigations into claims of racism at the school revealed that Erasmus had failed to act after being informed in 2023 of the alleged whites-only WhatsApp group.

It also suspended the 12 pupils on several charges. Some of those suspended were prefects who were stripped of their privileges. Meanwhile, deputy principal Doret Schoombie was transferred to work from the district office.

An internal investigation by the school governing body (SGB), however, found that the suspended students, who were accused of racism, were not guilty of any misconduct as had initially been claimed by the department. 

At the time, Mabona said the department was “disappointed” with the outcome of the probe. Days later, Chiloane decided to launch an independent investigation to determine whether a culture of racism existed at the school more broadly.

That investigation is ongoing.

Read more: Pretoria High School for Girls racism row — independent probe to be launched

Enter Thabo Mkebi

Last month, the Thabo Mbeki Foundation separately met the school governing body and departmental officials to discuss the handling of the matter.  

In a 13-page letter directed to the department and Lesufi that was leaked on social media, Mbeki said the department’s decision to suspend the pupils, Erasmus and Schoombie was premature as no investigation had been carried out to establish at least prima facie evidence to suggest that there was substance to the allegations made.

The Thabo Mbeki Foundation did not respond to Daily Maverick’s requests for further comment.

On Thursday, 24 October 2024, Lesufi told Daily Maverick that he had begun looking into the matter. 

“I have put the systems in place to have a meeting with the MEC, the school, the district and the former president so that we can clarify issues that need to be clarified.   

“I have gone through the [Mbeki Foundation] letter and it was quite detailed. Upon receiving the letter, I reached out to the MEC and he felt there are issues that need to be clarified better. So I will soon be putting everyone around the table.

“I have started working on it and it won’t take a month to resolve,” Lesufi said.  

The department has gone mum amid the criticism from Mbeki, who has called for the department to issue an apology and reinstate the school principal, among other recommendations. 

When Daily Maverick contacted Mabona and requested comment on the handling of the issue, he declined and indicated that no communication would be issued on the matter.

Meanwhile, both the SGB and management of the school also indicated they were still barred by the department from speaking to the media.  

‘Challenging time’

A teacher who spoke to Daily Maverick on condition of anonymity, however, said the hatchet had been buried two months after the incident.

“It has been a really challenging time for all of us, especially for the girls. Many of them came to me asking, ‘Ma’am, what can we do? How can we fix this?’ That’s because we are a community that looks out for one another.

“Many of us have done things we’re not proud of in our youth. They are just kids; they deserve the chance to be themselves and make mistakes, just as we did,” the teacher said.

“They have shown remarkable maturity throughout this entire situation. Contrary to how it has been portrayed in the media, it hasn’t been as bad as it seemed. The girls love each other, they have formed incredible connections and they have been supporting each other through it all.”

Read more: ‘It’s heartbreaking,’ says Pretoria Girls High parent as school faces fresh allegations of racism

A parent who reached out to Daily Maverick echoed similar sentiments following a recent annual Spring Fair at the school.

“Mothers and fathers of all races braaied together and helped out at the food stands, girls talked and laughed. There was not even a hint of racial tension.”

Furthermore, she suggested that officials had been eager to get involved for their own gain.

“Our SGBs are the only thing standing in the way of this happening. The government officials simply do not care about the future of our country.”

Human Rights Commission complaint

Trade union Solidarity has also entered the fray, saying it plans to file a complaint against the department with the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Monday.  

In the complaint, Solidarity will ask the commission to further investigate the actions of the department, Chiloane and Lesufi, according to spokesperson Johan Botha.

“According to Solidarity, these parties’ overeagerness, which spurred them on to look for instances of racism in vain, is also a good example of how damaging more government intervention in school matters can be for schools, learners and teachers.

“Solidarity considers the premature suspension of 12 learners from this school for their participation in a WhatsApp group discussion, as well as the suspension and forced transfer of this school’s principal and deputy principal, as typical of the GDE and its race-obsessed MEC, Matome Chiloane,” Botha said.

Last week, SAHRC Commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi told Daily Maverick that it was leaving the matter to the department to handle.

“We are allowing the department to carry on its own investigation, to undertake its process. We are monitoring to make sure that it’s a fair process, we are monitoring to make sure that it is a process that leads to better outcomes for everyone and if we are not satisfied with the process, then we will take it up as a commission,” he said.

Conversation necessary

When asked whether the principal and deputy had a valid case amid the criticism, education expert Professor Mary Metcalfe said that any labour process was subject to review.

On Mbeki’s remarks, she said: “I think it’s interesting that he puts his finger on the extent to which the department followed what would be considered procedural fairness, and I think that there is a lesson for all of us in that however just a course or passionately we feel, we have got to follow process,” she said.

The 30th of October 2024 marks three months since the principal and deputy were placed on precautionary suspension and it remains to be seen whether they will be reinstated.

Experts have expressed conflicting perspectives on whether the girls' remarks were racist or not. Metcalfe said this was secondary and was less important than having a broader conversation about recognising current and past pain.

“Issues of racism and prejudice, and discrimination, are rampant across society. We all live in a society which re-enforces those attitudes every day.

“There needs to be a much broader conversation about recognising current and past pain, not being so defensive as people who are associated with inflicting that pain, and being willing to learn.” DM

This article was updated to include missing text at 11h00 25 October