The Economic Freedom Fighters in Gauteng has called on the provincial education department to speed up its investigations into the hair row where a learner at the embattled Crowthorne Christian Academy in Midrand, was forcefully removed from the school for sporting dreadlocks.
The school has been closed indefinitely, while 51-year-old man, Andries Hendrik Booysen, the husband of the principal was arrested and appeared before the Midrand Magistrate’s Court on Thursday facing two charges of assault.
Earlier this week, a viral video of the incident surfaced on social media platforms, where the school principal Tanya Booysen and Booysen were seen barring a pupil from attending class due to her dreadlocks.
The pupil’s parents filmed the incident after the school ordered the pupil to leave the school to remove her dreadlocks.
EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga said his party will not rest until the victimized pupil receives justice.
“The EFF in Gauteng condemns the school and its policy which effectively institutionalises racism by raising white people's genotypical and phenotypical characteristics as the standard for what is natural and those of African people as unnatural,” said Dunga.
“We deplore such a policy because it seeks to suggest there is something abnormal and problematic about African people and our blackness and that we must strive and evolve to a higher and more acceptable standard, whiteness.”
He said the Gauteng education department’s action against the school which is not fully registered must be “swift”.
“The EFF Gauteng stands in full solidarity with the victimized learner and her family and we call on swift action from the Gauteng Department of Education in ensuring that the school and those responsible are brought to book,” said Dunga.
“The EFF structures staged a picket outside Crowthorne Christian Academy and outside the Midrand Magistrate Court where Mr Andries, the husband of Tanya Booysen appeared for bail application. And we will not rest until the family receives justice and the racists are held accountable.”
Meanwhile, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Gauteng said Booysen was released on R2,000 bail when he appeared before the Midrand Magistrate’s Court on two charges of assault.
“Booysen was arrested earlier today (on Thursday) August 17 and was released on bail of R2,000, on condition that he should not make any contact or interfere with State witnesses, whether directly or indirectly,” said Gauteng NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane.
The case was postponed to October 2, for further investigations.
“The case stems from an incident that happened on August 14, where there was a disagreement between the Crowthorne school principal and a learner's mother regarding the school policy in relation to the learner’s dreadlock hairstyle,” said Mjonondwane.
“The argument resulted in the school principal’s husband (Booysen), allegedly violently pushing the learner and her mother.”
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