History must tell everyone’s stories: Why SA must decolonise the curriculum

I still remember how, more than 50 years ago, Miss Ontong, our Grade 4 teacher, read us the story of “Onse Jan”. The history of the three ships that arrived in Cape Town on 6 April 1652 was gripping. Recent disagreements about the proposed new history curriculum made me think back to that story. Much water has flowed into Table Bay since then, as we have since become disillusioned by the realisation that the “facts” of the time did not tell the full story. This reminds me of the African proverb: Until the lion has his or her own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story.

This proverb, associated with several African countries, including Ghana and Kenya, again highlights that history is shaped by those who hold power. Too often, the experiences of the oppressed are silenced. To gain a complete understanding of history, it is therefore essential that all perspectives are heard.

A balanced account

The stories of the “hunter-characters” such as Verwoerd, Malan and Botha were documented in detail, while the other side of the story – represented by “lions” such as Biko, Sobukwe and Mandela – was marginalised. I have no problem with the South African War forming part of the curriculum, provided it acknowledges the thousands of black and coloured soldiers who also fought against British forces, for example at the battles of Ladysmith and Mafikeng.

The stories of women who died in concentration camps deserve to be preserved for future generations, but so too does the history of enslaved women. Yes, pupils should know about the Battle of Blood River and why we commemorate 16 December, but the emancipation of slaves on 1 August 1834 deserves equal recognition. The Great Trek is a watershed in our country’s history and deserves a place in any history textbook. Likewise, the contributions of leaders such as Witbooi, Swartbooi and Sol Plaatje should be included. The latter, one of the few who were literate at the time, recorded a large part of the Great Trek.

The truth is that long before modern civilisation, people moved from one place to another – traders, sailors, soldiers and families. Across seas and oceans, to the Americas and around the Cape to India. Wherever people met, more than just vegetables and spices were exchanged. Relationships were formed, families were built – and you and I were created. Those who now criticise should remember that we may share the same bloodlines.

Our history is not as divided as we think or pretend. It is intertwined. We are closer to one another than we have been conditioned to believe. For too long, textbooks did not meet the requirements of a democratic South Africa. A curriculum that provides a balanced account of our divided history to our children was therefore essential.

A long process of revision

One would think that 32 years into democracy, South African pupils would have a complete written history of South Africa available to them. It must be acknowledged that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has followed a thorough consultation process. The revision of the curriculum is the result of a process that began in 2019 when a ministerial task team was appointed to develop a new history curriculum for grades 4 to 12.

Consultations were conducted in all nine provinces during 2023 and 2024. Feedback gathered there was incorporated into draft documents before being submitted to the minister in January 2025. Since then, it has been reviewed by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, the Heads of Education Departments Committee, the Council of Education Ministers and Umalusi. All approved its release for public comment in November 2025.

So, what does this “new” curriculum entail?

Decolonised focus

The curriculum moves away from a history that begins with the European arrival of Jan van Riebeeck. Instead, it focuses on precolonial Africa. This approach emphasises critical engagement with the past and incorporates world history alongside African history and heritage, as well as local history.

Shift in content

The proposed content includes both ancient and modern histories and integrates archaeological sources with oral history. It covers ancient African kingdoms, the slave trade, liberation movements, local history and South Africa’s transition to democracy. The inclusion of oral history is welcomed, since it incorporates previously marginalised perspectives. Traditional history, including colonialism and apartheid as covered in the current CAPS curriculum, will remain part of the syllabus. The difference is that pupils will be encouraged to form their own interpretations through critical reading.

A skills-based approach

The proposed curriculum aims to redefine how pupils engage with the past by emphasising questioning, research, multiple interpretations and the analysis of diverse sources – rather than accepting a single source such as a textbook as the ultimate truth. Pupils must provide evidence before accepting information as truth. In short, the new curriculum aims to teach pupils to think for themselves, rather than be indoctrinated by whoever speaks or writes about history.

Coming together around a table

There will always be questions about reform, especially when it relates to something as emotional as one’s own history. The solution is not for each group to write its own version of history and impose it on children, because as I have indicated, there is no “us” and “them” history – there is only one history.

Just as I do not want to see a return to a time when only European perspectives were imposed on us, I also do not want to see a curriculum dominated solely by Afrikaner or ANC perspectives. It is time for us to sit together around a table and honestly and sincerely write our shared history so that every South African can be proud of it.

Our children must know that mistakes were made in the past. There is no point in hiding this from them; they will discover it anyway through modern sources like the internet. I also do not understand the fear about textbook content. We should not tell children what history to believe. They must be allowed – and are capable of – thinking openly about it. History must be taught in a nuanced way, without indoctrination, so that the next generation does not repeat our mistakes.

Compulsory or not

Regarding whether history should be compulsory, my educational view is that it should not be mandatory in the further education and training phase. In this phase, pupils should focus on their careers and further studies. Replacing life orientation with history (as some people are calling for), at a stage when pupils actually need life orientation, would be misguided. However, history can be compulsory up to Grade 9, where all subjects are compulsory anyway. In that case, the Grade 9 curriculum should be carefully designed so that all pupils can identify with it as South Africans.

Two sides to every story

The lion and the hunter metaphor highlight the importance of recording history by those who experienced it first-hand. It can no longer be viewed through a colonial lens. The new history curriculum must instil in pupils the understanding that every story has two sides. Table Mountain does not look the same from Bloubergstrand and Mitchells Plain. Depending on where you stand, perspectives will inevitably differ.

According to the minister of basic education, her department is aware that questions have been raised about aspects of South African and world history that may be omitted or underemphasised. The public has therefore been invited to comment. The draft curriculum remains a proposal, and public input could play a decisive role before any final policy is adopted. This forms part of a collective search for content that all can agree on and be proud of as South Africans.

The proposed curriculum is an honest attempt to address the shortcomings of the past. While we mostly had the hunter’s version of history before, this version aims to also tell the lion’s story. We now have a golden opportunity to correct the past.

It is time that everyone’s voice must be heard so that every South African child can feel that they belong to this beautiful country and its history. DM