In this country, you'll know the academic years are well and truly under way when reports of protests ranging from those by parents, students and everybody in-between make news headlines. The picture is fully complete when racial clashes are added to the list.
As we closed out the week last week, a story broke out about how a gang of louts in school uniform at a high school in the West Rand went on a rampage, beating up pupils of a darker hue because they didn't like the “kaff*r music” their victims had been playing earlier.
The thugs allegedly went around Hoērskool Jan Viljoen in Randfontein, hurling K-word laden profanities at black pupils while also beating up those they felt like attacking, including girls. As a result, black parents and some political parties, no doubt there to exploit the tragic situation for all it's worth — the political parties that is — staged a protest outside the school on Monday calling on the management at the school to tackle racism.
Black learners that Sowetan spoke to told of their pain of always being on the receiving end of the racial abuse and being victimised and made to feel unwelcome at the school when their complaints went unheeded, therefore encouraging those raised on a diet of warped white supremacy to do as they pleased with impunity.
“The white kids said this is not our place and we should leave,” a learner said. Another, a girl, said she had tried to reason with the mob, but she was pushed to the ground and they continued to rain blows on a black boy.
As usual, Gauteng MEC for education, Panyaza Lesufi went to the school on Monday and held meetings with the school management and other concerned parties. He said he had received a report from the school and that it was clear there were pupils and teachers who need to explain themselves. The Human Rights Commission would also be roped in to investigate.
To many, that would bring a sense of dé jávu. Indeed, have we not been here before? For too long racists in this country, initially with the backing of the state got away with murder, often literally. This all was supposed to have stopped in 1994 and pendulum swung to the other end and a culture of tolerance and mutual respect was meant to reign.
That has been a pipe dream for many and we are afraid promises of action not followed through will not put a stop to it. We need to make an example of those that think it is okay to attack people simply they are different and have them barred to some corner because “they don't belong here”.
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