EFF in Gauteng statement on the Laerskool Danie Malan continued racism and exclusion of black learners from accessing education in the school

11 January 2023

The Economic Freedom Fighters in is greatly infuriated by the continued racism and systematic exclusion of black children from accessing education at Laerskool Danie Malan. This racist segregationist conduct within the school has led to a standoff on the gates, with black parents taking the issue to task today. A huge number of black children, whose parents submitted applications as early as the open days were announced have not received any response regarding admission, the schooling has commenced, and black parents and children are still left in the dark.

It is important to note that this school has been in the spotlight for its internal apartheid-like operations, with black children given second-class citizen treatment, crumped up in small classrooms, taking separate breaks, while white Afrikaner children enjoy maximum preferential treatment.

When the racist @EFFSouthAfrica accuses an institution of racism, we can safely say there is no racism. Racists like the #eff regards institutions that don't promote their racist agenda, as "racist". Fortunately the EFF will remain a 10% fringe group election after election 😀. pic.twitter.com/ArxwOYoIKZ

— Kallie Kriel (@kalliekriel) January 12, 2023

This school has been hellbent on infusing and perpetuating white supremacy and black inferiority not only at the learning level, but the school governing body also remains a luxury of the few white Afrikaner leadership.

This happens 28 years into the flag democracy with the former liberation movement in government. This goes to prove that the EFF has always been correct there has not been true liberation in this country, only a formal yet insignificant transition took place in 1994.

We find the excuse of technical discrepancies with the online system of the department to be very convenient and opportunistic coming from the SGB and those who happen to benefit from the situation. The EFF Gauteng has pointed out these technical shortcomings to be problematic and called for the Gauteng government to remedy the situation by allowing those who applied and need space to be granted access.

However, the situation with Laerskool Danie Malan deserves our immediate and urgent attention in that it seems to be very racially selective on who accesses the school and who does not. It follows the same pattern as other cases with the school. The EFF The EFF Gauteng calls for the Gauteng Department of Basic Education to immediately intervene by granting black children access to the school in the immediate future. This must be done to guarantee the children's rights to education.

The department must prescribe more classes to be open for children doing English as their main language, even and especially if it means cutting down on Afrikaans classrooms. Class allocations must reflect the demographics of the society and be in line with the transformation agenda of the country.

There must be an immediate intervention and overhaul of the School Governing Body composition as it has been party to perpetrating and defending racism in the school. The body must reflect the society's complexion and be intentional about eradicating racism and rewriting the apartheid injustices. There must be a closer focus on the school employment policy and companies providing services to the school. We are vehemently opposed to a whites-only security company servicing a public institution.

A government that is alive to our history of Bantu Education aimed at subjecting black people to inferior education, and serious about transformation must be intentional about admitting the previously advantaged groups in predominantly white schools. The online process must be designed not to be blind to the historical systematic exclusion of black people from education and should be determined to correct this wrong.

The EFF in Gauteng will continue monitoring the situation in Danie Malan Laerskool. We urge all parents with issues of access across the province to not hesitate to inform the EFF structures for immediate intervention.

We are readily available to assist!

Issued by Nkululeko Dunga, Gauteng Provincial Chairperson, EFF, 12 January 2023