RACISM ROWS: Education transformation – SA schools try to navigate the nuances of racial clashes in the classroom

Two schools. Two provinces. Two racism rows. And two quite different governmental approaches. Racism-related sagas engulfing Cape Town’s Pinelands High School and Pretoria High School for Girls in recent weeks have highlighted contrasting stances from the Western Cape and Gauteng provincial education departments.

With a school governing body (SGB) investigation having cleared 12 white learners from Pretoria of racism after the leaking of WhatsApp messages expressing racial frustration, the Gauteng education department has announced its intention to pursue an independent investigation into whether a culture of racism exists at the school.

Speaking this week, department spokesperson Steve Mabona said there was a “strong presumption of the existence” of racism and discrimination against learners at Pretoria High School for Girls.

In Cape Town, meanwhile, five Grade 8 learners at Pinelands High School will have disciplinary hearings next week after participating in an apparent prank in which black pupils were “auctioned” to “bidders”.

But the Western Cape education department is adamant that this was an “isolated incident” (in the words of spokesperson Bronagh Hammond), which does not reflect “the values and ethos” of either Pinelands High or the department.

Hammond told Daily Maverick this week that the department would remain hands-off with regard to the incident.

“There is no reason to intervene at this stage and it would be inappropriate to do so. The school is taking action in terms of the relevant disciplinary procedures as outlined in the SA Schools Act, and we must allow for this process to take its course.”

Hammond said it was up to schools to deal with disciplinary matters involving learners, but the department would get involved if allegations were made against teachers. The department is undertaking one racism investigation involving a Table View High School teacher who allegedly used the k-word as part of a Grade 12 history lesson.

The Gauteng education department did not respond to questions from Daily Maverick about whether there were other racism investigations into the province’s schools.

Pretoria Girls’ community grappling with fallout

Parents outside Pretoria High School for Girls were still reeling this week from the exposure of their school in the national media when Daily Maverick visited.

One white parent of a Grade 11 student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I believe these children are not systematically racist, but they happen to have been born during a time in which a lot of things are swept under the carpet. They have a lot to learn – and the school and we as parents have a responsibility to assist them.”

A white Grade 12 parent denied that there was a culture of racism among white learners. “I would not say my child is racist; nearly all her friends are black. The 12 girls, in my view, are also not racist. There is a huge difference between having a conversation about racism versus actually being a racist.

“In our family, we have plenty of WhatsApp groups and it’s just white people. We have discussions about everything under the sun – does that make us racists?”

A black parent said he was not surprised by either the allegations of racism or the findings of the SGB, which found the girls not guilty of misconduct.

“I was not shocked at all. It was kind of expected with the history of the school. It was bound to happen. It is kind of a recurring thing for them not to take action when it is necessary,” he said.

The girls who were cleared by the probe have also been reinstated in their leadership roles as prefects, a decision to which all three parents Daily Maverick spoke to appeared to be opposed. They were in agreement that there needed to be some kind of punishment for the prefects in terms of upholding the accountability and integrity of student leaders at the school.

Debate rages about prevalence and handling of racism cases

Public opinion about the incidents and how they were handled has been sharply divided, and extreme views have been expressed on both sides.

Diversity consultant Teresa Oakley-Smith, who is white, told Daily Maverick she believed that the comments made by the 12 Pretoria pupils in their WhatsApp group did indeed constitute racism.

The full transcripts of the controversial WhatsApp group have not been released, but reports state that messages centred on white students’ grievances about being treated unfairly because of their race. Messages included the suggestion that black students were now the privileged ones because “the world is more in their favour now anyways, like, apartheid isn’t a thing any more”.

“I was not shocked at all,” Oakley-Smith said. “I had red-flagged the school in 2016.

“The recent developments are a clear indication that the school has not done the work to create a good environment around issues of race.”

She added that, in her view, it is “absolutely not possible” for black children to be guilty of racism themselves. “Racism stems from power relations – actual or envisaged power that one group has over another. Another definition of racism is belief in the superiority of a particular race.”

On the other side of the debate is a figure like Richard Wilkinson, a young Johannesburg lawyer. He does not have children in the education system, but has adopted the issue of racism allegations in schools as something of a personal crusade.

Wilkinson told Daily Maverick he had become seized with the issue after being made aware of events at Johannesburg’s St Stithian’s College in 2020, when numerous allegations of racism that were made against teachers were found to be unsubstantiated in a subsequent investigation.

“I started tweeting about it and quickly discovered that similar things were happening at dozens of other schools. I have since had contact with over 200 parents and teachers at dozens of schools across the country who have reported numerous instances of bullying, abuse and harassment to me,” he said.

Wilkinson is frustrated by media coverage of incidents like the Pretoria High School for Girls saga and accuses journalists of parroting the Gauteng education department’s stance without meaningfully interrogating the facts. He believes diversity and transformation consulting firms are exploiting schools for financial benefit, and schools should stop recognising concepts like micro aggressions, cultural appropriation and systemic racism.

“The children are fine when left to their own devices and without being indoctrinated with divisive ideology,” he maintains.

Many disagree.

Christi van der Westhuizen, associate professor at the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy at Nelson Mandela University, says the recent incidents are evidence that elite, formerly white English-language schools are failing to grapple with “questions of institutional culture” sufficiently.

“In racially diverse schools, one would want processes where learners can openly engage with one another to better understand where they come from and how to tackle legacies of injustice,” she said.

“One would want to see the cultivation of not only critical thinking, but also of mutual understanding and empathy.”

In reality, however, “young people are simply not being equipped to deal critically and empathetically with the demands of a diverse world”, said Van der Westhuizen.

Schools getting it right

In educational circles, three Cape Town high schools are mentioned repeatedly for doing particularly well in terms of creating racially inclusive cultures: Camps Bay, Westerford and – perhaps surprisingly – Pinelands, the site of the mock-slavery debacle.

Insiders at Pinelands High School expressed distress this week that the incident was being used to paint the school as a whole in a racist light, maintaining that the “auction” was a foolish and ignorant joke among 13-year-old school friends.

The school’s staff would not speak about the matter on record because it is under investigation, but the SGB detailed the extensive steps the school has taken in recent years to reckon with racial transformation.

These included running “immersive, transformative” four-day “Rainbow Camps” for students, which focus on “embracing diversity across ethnic, cultural and gender lines”. The school also has a permanent transformation committee comprising both staff and learners, which runs programmes “to educate the school about cultural and social diversity”.

At Westerford, an email sent by principal Mark Smith to parents on Sunday, 4 August, epitomises what parents say is the school’s proactive approach to issues of race.

“You might have seen in the news recently that racism has resurfaced at schools. In light of this, we have to stop and reflect as to where we are as a Westerford community, as this also affects us daily as a school community. With this, we will have a pupil plenary with the school management team. This platform is where pupils of colour can raise any concerns and emotions as to how they feel in light of what has happened at our school, but also in the broader society,” Smith wrote.

“This is the platform to reflect as to where we are at as a school in terms of being an inclusive space. This platform will also be the springboard to determine how much transformative work is still needed to make Westerford an inclusive space for all … Do note that the school will not entertain any form of victimisation, as this will be a safe, inclusive platform.”

Camps Bay High School principal Louis Mostert told Daily Maverick this week: “No school in South Africa is ever going to get this problem totally solved.”

Mostert said the school viewed racial representivity among staff members as one of the most critical aspects: “It’s important that kids can always identify with someone on the staff.”

The school also uses its admission numbers to ensure student racial diversity and to draw learners from different socioeconomic groups. A diversity committee on the SGB helps to steer its approach on matters related to race.

“When people feel that they’re not being heard, it breeds dissent,” Mostert said.

When racial incidents have arisen in the past, it was critical that grade heads phone the relevant parents immediately to inform them of what had happened and tell them that an investigation was under way.

Mostert also highlighted the importance of playing open cards with the school community at large: “When things go wrong, you can’t hide it. You need to address it upfront as quickly as possible.”

Other schools have introduced specific mechanisms for handling complaints of racial discrimination.

Stuart West, the executive head of St John’s College in Johannesburg, said: “Our school has established several internal structures and committees dedicated to handling such matters, including the Guardian Anonymous Reporting App, which allows individuals to report incidents confidentially and securely.”

The school’s policy states that accusations of racism must be dealt with swiftly, efficiently and fairly by a task team called the anti-discrimination custodians. The policy also allows for an appeal process.

What the Constitution says about racial discrimination

The preamble of the Constitution states: “The Republic of South Africa is one, sovereign, democratic state founded on the following values: (a) Human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms. (b) Non-racialism and non-sexism.”

Section 9(3) of the Constitution prohibits unfair discrimination against anyone on one or more grounds, including on the ground of race.

Department of Justice’s definition of racism

Racism is the belief that someone from a different skin colour, race or ethnic group is in a position of power over others on the basis of physical and cultural attributes, as well as economic wealth, involving hierarchical relations where the “superior” race exercises domination and control over others.

Racism is a denial of people’s basic human rights, dignity and respect. Its expression ranges from small, everyday acts of discrimination to barriers and omissions that may be inadvertently established at an institutional level and acts of threatening behaviour and violence.

Definition of racial discrimination

Racial discrimination is any act or omission, including a policy, law, rule, practice, condition or situation that directly or indirectly imposes burdens, obligations or disadvantage on, or withholds benefits, opportunities or advantages from, any person on prohibited grounds of race, ethnic or social origin, colour, culture, language and birth.

Readers’ views

• The interesting thing about my white kid is that he is severely autistic and spends most of his time at a special needs school and a special needs home. Most of his friends are from all backgrounds and races. Almost none is white. Special needs kids don’t appear to see colour. They also don’t seem to fight or have any hatred issues, unless they have meltdowns related to their mental conditions. They are very loving. One would wish kids who are far more privileged mentally would be more like special needs kids.
• A friend of mine’s child is suffering repetitive racism daily at the school she attends. But people won’t find it newsworthy as the receiver of the abuse is coloured and the abuser is black. Until people can come to realise that racism is a two-way street, it will never be sorted out. I cannot fathom that so few people get that. Every race has racism in them and to deny that they are all capable of extreme racism based on the colour of their skin is also in itself racist. Although I do not condone what these pupils at Pretoria High School for Girls did, when do we see the other side of the coin?
• My son experienced racism while at Bekker High School in Magaliesburg, Gauteng. He’s been a soccer fan since about five years old. The school didn’t offer it as a sport, but most of the black kids would play it at breaktime. When he joined them, he was ridiculed and called a k-lover by white kids.
• My eldest daughter is adopted. She is black and I am white. Two of her best friends once sent her a WhatsApp message calling her a little n*****, with a black middle finger emoji. She reported it to the Human Rights Commission, but it did nothing, and one of the children’s mothers victimised her and said she was ruining their lives. White and black people sometimes called her a “coconut” because she can only speak English. It affected her confidence badly. She said that she has three strikes against her: she is black, disabled and adopted. When she went to college, she had no confidence. She said she assumed that the way her school friends treated her would be the way everyone treated her. Thankfully, it was a better experience, and she is now more confident in her identity and has friends who embrace her for the amazing person she is.
• I, as a white teacher at a former model C school, was told by a parent of a black child that neither he nor his son needed to listen to me because white people don’t belong in this land, and “it’s not the time of the white man any more”.
• During the run-up to the local elections in 2021, some black parents on our school governing body reported to the management that EFF branch members in the local township, where many of our pupils live, were actively encouraging black pupils from our school to cause trouble and provoke race issues in order to “show the white man who is boss”. DM

If you have any experience of schools – both private and public – where incidents of racism or discrimination based on racial or ethnic differences occurred and the school community dealt with them effectively and inclusively, please share it with us so that we can reflect it in our journalism. Write to [email protected]

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.