Alleged dark online alter ego of Cape Town school principal causes outrage

At Kommetjie Primary, a small government school on Cape Town’s South Peninsula, they like to say that the school’s ethos can be summed up with the acronym STAR.

S is for Safety: “I must be mindful of safety at all times in my actions and the words I speak.”

T is for Tolerance: “I need to be tolerant of differences within my school community.”

A is for Attitude: “I need to have a positive attitude towards all I do in my school day so that I may reap positive results.”

R is for Respect: “I need to respect each person I interact with as well as respect the environment I work and play in.”

But what happens when it’s the leader right at the top, the school’s principal, who is accused of violating this values code?

That’s the question with which some parents and staff at Kommetjie Primary are grappling after discovering what is alleged to be an alternative Facebook account controlled by principal George Gueorguiev, which contains vile bigotry.

Gueorguiev, who is originally from Bulgaria but has been living in South Africa for decades, told Daily Maverick he could not comment on this matter, or other allegations.

“I am employed by the Western Cape Education Department and are [sic] therefore not allowed to talk to the media regarding school matters that might disrepute the school and or the department’s name,” Gueorguiev wrote in an email.

The Facebook account, discovered by parents in March 2025, was in the name of “George Yankov”, but featured a profile pic of Gueorguiev against the same banner pic as in Gueorguiev’s “official” Facebook account, showing a Morris engine.

Daily Maverick understands that Gueorguiev has disclaimed any knowledge of or responsibility for the account, claiming that he was either hacked or impersonated by an enemy.

But the Yankov account, which was established in 2019, featured selfies of Gueorguiev which are not on his official account – raising the question of where his alleged pretenders would have obtained these pictures.

The Yankov account was also “friends” with the Gueorguiev account – meaning that Gueorguiev would have had to accept a friend request, without questioning it, from a rogue account using his own face as a profile picture. 

What may be the smoking gun: Gueorguiev is known to occasionally send emails to staff and School Governing Board (SGB) members from his private email account.

The address? Georgeyankov@hotmail.com.

This week, Daily Maverick reviewed dozens of offensive memes posted on the account, the majority between 2022 and July 2025, when the profile was removed.

They reflect preoccupations of, in particular, the European far right expressing anti-migrant, anti-Muslim, anti-trans, anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist sentiment. The overarching theme is one of contempt for liberal values.

A number of other posts reflected nostalgia for apartheid in the form of photographs of “whites-only” benches, as well as Ian Smith’s Rhodesia.

Adam Welz, one of the Kommetjie Primary parents who was aghast to discover the profile, told Daily Maverick:

“In addition to aggressive, bigoted posts, the profile had a photo of a room filled with assault rifles and ammunition [confirmed by Daily Maverick]. To me, it was scarily like the social media of American school shooters. It sent a chill down my spine.”

Parents instantly reported the profile to the school governing body, which laid a complaint with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).

“The WCED is aware of the Facebook posts. They are deeply concerning and not behaviour expected of any employee,” spokesperson Bronagh Hammond told Daily Maverick this week.

“The WCED also received other complaints, which have also been investigated. The principal was subsequently charged for these posts, as well as other charges relating to misconduct. There is an ongoing disciplinary process under way which is in its final stages.”

Hammond said that because Gueorguiev claims his account was hacked, there is a criminal investigation which needs to be finalised first.

Years of concerns about Gueorguiev

But parents, former staff members and SGB members interviewed by Daily Maverick this week expressed intense frustration that the WCED has been so slow to act.

Jeremy Bristow-Bovey, a parent at the school, resigned from the SGB in May in protest over the inaction over Gueorguiev.

“The first complaint that the SGB made to WCED [about Gueorguiev] was five-and-a-half years ago,” Bristow-Bovey told Daily Maverick.

That complaint, he said, was around the principal’s “poor leadership, erratic behaviour and inability to communicate”.

A vote of no confidence in Gueorguiev by the SGB was passed on 5 December 2023 – with no consequent action.

In October 2024, the Kommetjie Primary staff also wrote to the SGB expressing concerns about Gueorguiev’s leadership and its effect on staff. The letter was sent on to the WCED.

“It is now blindingly evident that our principal has no interest in the morale of the staff at KPS nor the trust that should exist between staff and principal,” the letter, seen by Daily Maverick, read.

“Staff wellness is now alarmingly low. Our educators are on sick leave and some of our past, most valuable and esteemed educators [have] already opted for early retirement as a direct result of the toxic environment.”

Two former teachers told Daily Maverick that Gueorguiev made little secret of his political views, including support for US President Donald Trump. They requested not to be named as Gueorguiev was believed to be litigious.

“We observed some very strange behaviour from the principal during school hours, including photographing children in class,” alleged one former teacher.

They claimed Gueorguiev still did not know some staff members’ names even after they had been at the school for a year or more, and that he tended to hole up in his office – rarely coming out for class visits or to attend events like interschool swimming galas. 

“When walking into his office to ask him a question, he would often be napping or on Facebook.”

This behaviour was also observed by another parent and former SGB member, Sarah Geline, who said the principal would constantly be scrolling on his phone during meetings.

“There were also concerns around his volatile temper and lack of familiarity with WCED procedures to guide the SGB,” Geline said.

But the greatest alarm expressed by Kommetjie parents this week was around the Yankov Facebook posts.

“It is not possible for [Gueorguiev] to hold the views expressed on the contested Facebook profile and enact his duties as school principal in a South African government school as outlined by the WCED. To do so is equivalent to being wet and dry at the same time,” Geline said.

In 2016, the national Department of Education published its policy on South African standards for principals.

It stipulates that school principals are required to “embrace the diversity of cultures within the school” and instil “respect for the cultural practices of others”.

They must also “acknowledge that a variety of sexual orientations exist among human beings and ensure that there is respect and tolerance for the orientation of every person at, or involved in, the school”. DM