The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) plans to pursue further action against a Pretoria east school principal and other staff following its independent investigation into claims of systematic racism at Pretoria Girls High School (PGHS).
This follows a private law firm appointed by the department releasing its findings in a report on Monday after its investigation into the allegations.
In the report, the firm’s director, Mthuthuzeli Mdladlamba, highlighted key allegations. These include racial remarks by learners following the initial news of the WhatsApp group, a position at the school being filled based on race and qualifications with no interview conducted, along various other findings of apparent discrimination.
The investigation stems from an incident in July where 12 matric PGHS learners were suspended for allegedly making racist remarks in a “whites-only” WhatsApp group prompting the suspension of the principal, Phillipa Erasmus, and her deputy, Doret Schoombie.
The learners faced charges related to violence, bullying and disruptive behaviour, but were acquitted by the school governing body (SGB) due to insufficient evidence.
After the acquittal, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane announced the department would pursue its own independent investigation, which started in August and was due to last just seven days.
Mdladlamba said the investigation did not look into the WhatsApp group, as the matter was decided by the disciplinary hearing.
“The report finds that the allegations were reported to the principal in October 2023, as well as her deputy, though no action was taken. The principal mishandled the complaint. She was not transparent with the three learners, who reported on how she dealt with their complaints. The learners kept asking about the status of their complaint and they were advised by the deputy principal (responsible for discipline) that their investigation was still pending.
“It was the same time that learner six of the 12 in the WhatsApp group was reported for bullying,” Mdladlamba said.
According to the report, this had led to the events of July 18, where a protest occurred against the lack of action taken by the school.
White learners were allegedly bullied by some black learners in response to the WhatsApp group being made public.
Mdladlamba said inaction by the principal led to a breach of the Employment Equity Act and the South African Schools Act, among various other violations.
The report found that the SGB and disciplinary hearing director engaged in illicit activity.
Mdladlamaba said this matter is subject to further investigation, as paying for services rendered violates the Schools Act.
He also addressed the recent backlash it had faced regarding its investigation from stakeholders such as the DA and the Thabo Mbeki Foundation (TMF).
“It appears from the letter that the foundation only met with the delegation from the SGB and the GDE. The affected learners appeared not to have been consulted and were not allowed to share their experiences,” Mdladlamba said.
Chiloane insisted despite the results of the investigation, that the school is still functioning properly and matriculants are ready for their upcoming final examinations.
“This process also gives a chance to deal with other inherent challenges that also exist. We were able to pick up that there is a social cohesion challenge, that’s what we want to address. Especially with the national dialogue promoted by the GNU, it allows schools that have experienced similar challenges to start a dialogue amongst our children,” Chiloane said.
The MEC said through the resolution of these issues, the department will bring learners on board as the actions that the department takes are for their betterment.
“It’s an individual thing, kids are not born racists or hating other people or discriminating people – someone teaches that. I always say that the responsibility falls on parents and adults who, in their minds, if they are not ready for a transformative country, then we have a challenge,” he said.
Chiloane also addressed the TMF, encouraging it to assist in the department’s work now that the report findings were available.
“Now that we have the report, obviously there are recommendations that we are looking at and are going to act on going forward legally but the foundation must come forward and assist, as well as other NGOs.
“Let’s share our expertise and use this situation as a model of how to deal with these types of challenges in future. We can be talking about Pretoria Girls today, and tomorrow there’s a similar situation happening next door,” Chiloane concluded.
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