A commission of inquiry will investigate racism at a Western Cape school after an assault on a coloured pupil was captured on a cellphone video, the provincial education department said on Monday.
”I have now received two preliminary reports on the incident, in which a cellphone video clip captured an alleged racial, violent assault on a learner at the school,” Western Cape education minister Cameron Dugmore said.
The cellphone clip, recorded at the Langenhoven Gymnasium High School, a former model-C school in Oudtshoorn, shows grade-nine pupil Pequestro Dyssel being assaulted by a fellow pupil while their teacher looks on and fails to intervene.
”From the reports it seem clear to me that we need a more extensive process to probe the underlying issues that led to this incident,” said Dugmore.
The probe was also prompted by a petition received from the local community accusing ”tradisionele wit skole [traditionally white schools]” of racism against coloured pupils.
The petition, received from the People’s Forum, called for an in-depth investigation to weed out the ”walglike [repulsive]” culture of racism in local schools.
The People’s Forum also asked that the department root out those who support and allow this culture to prevail in the schools and to educate teachers on dealing with diversity. It said that the incident at Langenhoven was not an isolated one.
Dugmore said the commission of inquiry will investigate the context in which the incident at Langenhoven took place as well as the complaints raised in the petition.
”In this regard, we have approached the Human Rights Commission to consider a request to become part of such a process,” he said. ”In terms of Langenhoven Gymnasium itself, the department will be requesting the school governing body to urgently institute a process of formal disciplinary hearings against all the learners allegedly involved.”
Investigations will include the role played by the teacher and the pupil in the incident. A report on the inquiry and recommendations from the commission will be completed by the end of May.
Dyssel is back at school and the situation is being monitored by education officials, Dugmore said. — Sapa