Suspended for dreadlocks

Sniggering children ask him for his autograph as a joke and a family member has put her studies on hold just to make sure he doesn't commit suicide or hurt himself.

Fifteen-year-old Odwa Sityata finds himself in a precarious situation - he has essentially been asked to choose between his religion or an education.

The Grade 8 pupil from Joe Slovo Engineering School in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, has been suspended for failing to cut his dreadlocks. Today he will return to the school but without cutting an inch of hair, as the school has requested. Instead he, his family and community organisation, Equal Education, is prepared to go to battle to fight for his rights as a Rasta.

"These dreadlocks are not a fashion. Having dreadlocks, not cutting your hair is a spiritual connection with him and Jah [God]," said his godmother, Woizaro Sontsonge.

Last year, Sityata was told to cut his hair. He refused, and when Sityata, his family and members of their congregation asked to see the principal, they claim they were chased away.

"The principal thinks we are a bad influence on Odwa," said his sister, Trinity Myabaza.

According to a report compiled by the organisation, Odwa was first sent home by school principal Majiet Parker on January 25.

In a meeting with his mother, Sindiswa Sityata, Parker allegedly said "he did not want Rastas at the school". He made it clear that Sityata may not return to school unless he cut his hair and allegedly also accused the child of smoking dagga.

"But Odwa is a child and may not use ganja," Myabaza said.

Sityata's mother reported the incident to the Department of Education in the Western Cape, and eventually he returned to school for a while.

On February 28, a disciplinary hearing was held by the school governing body. Dmitri Holtzman, from the community organisation, acted as Sityata's representative at the hearing, where he was charged with violating the school's rules and regulations.

"The problem is that even before the school held this disciplinary hearing, they had already decided to punish Odwa," said Holtzman.

Holtzman said they were given two minutes to state their case. He directed the panel to the Constitution, which protects people's right to freedom of religion. And mention was made of the national guidelines on school uniforms, which takes religion and cultural diversity into consideration.

The governing body's decision was that Sityata would be suspended for seven days, and could only return if he cut his hair.

Yesterday, Bronagh Casey, spokesman for provincial education MEC Donald Grant, said when the department heard that Sityata had been suspended without the necessary disciplinary hearing, it intervened.

However, Casey said that one could not assume that any constitutional right had been violated in this case.

"It would be incorrect to assume that any constitutional or other rights have been violated. This could only be decided on by a court of law," she said.

Casey said the department would provide him with educational support to catch up with his school work, when he returns.

The community organisation has appointed a lawyer who wrote to the governing body and the department, to demand that the suspension be reversed.

By late Friday afternoon, Holtzman said the department failed to respond.

He said they are preparing to take the necessary legal action but confirmed that Sityata will go to school today with his dreadlocks.

As for Sityata, all he wants to do is finish school.

"I want to do sound engineering one day. I feel really bad about all of this," he said.

Sipe Buso, another family member, said: "We are so afraid that he will commit suicide. His spirit is so down."