Zille must take lead on racist schools 

6 September 2016

DA premier Helen Zille must take responsibility for the growing unrest at schools where unfair discrimination against black learners and illegal institutional racism abound, demands the Western Cape ANC.

It has come to light that more schools are involved in this practice to humiliate learners for speaking their home language on school premises and having African hair. Some must carry a ‘compass’ (reference to the hated apartheid ‘reference book’) to record transgressions or pay fines for amongst others speaking isiXhosa. Some were disdainfully called baboons, hyenas and k@ffirs.

Western Cape ANC spokesperson on education Theo Olivier says: “It is not good enough that DA education MEC Debbie Schäfer claims it has nothing to offer to schools. This key department once headed by then MEC Zille, must come up with suggestions and guidelines to schools and their school governing bodies to bring them in step with our Constitutional values celebrating our diversity.

“Zille as head of the provincial government must ensure this department under her must give guidance and assistance to troubled schools. If Zille cannot lead her government ahead of the upcoming matric trial exams, she must resign and give somebody else a chance to do a better job!”

Issued by Cobus Grobler on behalf of the ANC Western Cape, 6 September 2016