Racism Must Be Criminalised

31 July 2017

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union is extremely perturbed by the unnecessary delay in the filling of the principal post at Klipspruit West Secondary School.

The filling of a school principal post is a long process considering time provided for the advertisement, sifting, short-listing, interview and appointment. During this period the Department of Education can only appoint a person in an acting capacity, and this situation has its own challenges which sometimes impact negatively on the performance of the institution.

Any further delay after this already long process has a potential of rendering the school dysfunctional. It is even more disconcerting when the delay is outside the dispute resolution framework underpinning this process.

We strongly condemn the refusal to accept the appointment of a principal, on the basis of her race, by a group of parents at this school. It is even more disturbing that the same group which frustrated a similar process at Roodeport Primary School on racial grounds is at the centre of this problem.

We call on the Gauteng Department of Education to fast-track the appointed principal's assumption of duty as a matter of extreme urgency. Further, we call all stakeholders in the institution to protect teaching and learning at the school. This is in the best interest of the community, particularly our children.

St John's College

The union welcomes the dismissal of a teacher who was employed at St John's College following a disciplinary hearing conducted to test the allegations of racism levelled against him. We reiterate our call for closer monitoring of private schools, because we believe that these isolated incidents are the tip of an iceberg. We commend and support the MEC for Education, Honourable Panyaza Lesufi for his endeavour to uproot racism in the schooling system.

We remain unflinching in our position that racism must be criminalised. It has no place in our democratic dispensation, and it must be eliminated whenever it raises its ugly head.

Issued by Tseliso Ledimo, Provincial Secretary, SADTU Gauteng, 31 July 2017