In the clip entitled “Slavery at school is crazy”, black pupils can be seen standing behind a gate while their coloured classmates are heard making bids of various amounts. One pupil even offers to buy his classmate using BItcoin crypto currency.
The School Governing Body (SGB) at Pinelands High School has precautionarily suspended a number of Grade 8 learners amid racism and bullying allegations after they were captured on video footage “selling off” their black peers as slaves.
In the video with the caption “Slavery at schools is crazy”, black learners are caged in what appears to be a storage space while their coloured peers pretend to auction them off to bidders.
One of the learners is heard shouting “going once, going twice, sold!” Another mentions different prices including R2 000 and R10 000, the prices gradually increasing.
Once a learner was “sold”, he was removed from the cage and made to stand next to the learner who “bought” him.
Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the department was aware of the “deeply disturbing and hurtful” video that was circulating.
“The actions of the learners do not reflect the values and ethos of the school or the WCED. On Friday morning, senior officials visited the school. The school had already initiated an investigation into the event in terms of its disciplinary procedures, following an allegation of racist bullying, in connection with an event that occurred.
“The learners involved have and are being interviewed and offered support, including counselling. Contact has been made with the learners’ parents and the school management has also engaged with the staff and learners and will be communicating with the parent community,” said Hammond.
According to a school letter issued on Saturday, signed by the school’s new principal Graham Sayer and SGB chairperson Joy-Marie Lawrence, the incident was recorded in a video before the start of school on Thursday.
“Dear Parents and Guardians, our principal informed you that the school is investigating alleged racist bullying by some of our Grade 8 students. The incident was escalated to the SGB who convened a meeting late on Friday evening.
“As a consequence, a number of students have been precautionarily suspended pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation. Further actions will be taken as necessary.
“Our school has long grappled with the injustices of the past, and this incident serves as a poignant reminder of the critical importance of our ongoing conversations about race, privilege, bullying, social media pranks, and the impact of our words and actions in both the physical and digital world,” the letter read.
The letter further stated that the actions of a “few” should not tarnish the hard work and values that define the school. Instead it should be a call to action, reinforcing that their work in sustaining a safe, inclusive and respectful environment was never complete.
“This remains a challenge in schools, our communities, society and our country. We recognise the emotional trauma and pain this incident has triggered for many of our students, staff, and broader community. We have counsellors available to offer support, and the WCED has also reached out to provide additional resources and counselling services to assist us.
“We urge our community to reaffirm the values and ethos of our school as we navigate this difficult incident together.
Let us grow from this experience, recognising that it is our duty to ensure that Pinelands High remains a place where every individual feels valued, respected, and safe,” the school said.
Allegations of racism are also being investigated at Table View High School after a white substitute history teacher allegedly used the K-word as part of a Grade 12 history lesson on black consciousness.
The Gauteng Department of Education also suspended 12 learners from Pretoria High School for Girls following reports of a white-only WhatsApp group where racist remarks were allegedly made. A formal disciplinary hearing is expected to take place this week.
Author and former postdoctoral fellow in the University of Pretoria’s Department of Historical and Heritage Studies, Dr Nadia Kamies, said the incident reflected the failure to have conversations around racism and diversity.
“Are schools providing platforms for conversations around racism? Or around diversity in general? The school has a responsibility to nurture a safe environment that is conducive to learning. At the same time, one should remember that children also bring from home a certain set of morals and values,” she said.
The ANC caucus in the Western Cape provincial legislature commended the “swift and decisive” response of Pinelands High School, saying this demonstrated honesty and transparency in handling the matter.
The party’s leader at the legislature, Khalid Sayed, said the counselling provided was a crucial first step and this must be coupled with sustained and open dialogues about racism, especially within former Model C schools.
“This appalling display of racism is not an isolated event but yet another example of a broader pattern of racial injustice within our schools in the province which goes back many years. This incident reflects the pervasive problem of racism that often goes unreported in many of the former Model C schools in the Western Cape.
“It is alarming that such attitudes persist among high school learners, suggesting a failure to adequately address and combat racism at a systemic level. We call for increased resources to effectively combat racism and bullying in schools, and to support those affected,” he said.
Songezo Mazizi of the Black People’s National Crisis Committee (BPNCC) said: “The BPNCC is extremely shocked and taken aback by the racist acts and allegations in schools. This goes to show how divided South Africa is at the social level. The dignity of black people in South Africa is not yet restored when these incidents take place in our schools.”
Cape Times