Protests erupted outside Lawson Brown High School in Nelson Mandela Bay on Tuesday after a pupil was allegedly told she won’t be able to write her exams with an afro.
The defiant pupil has accused her school of racism amid threats of being barred from writing her first exam on Wednesday if she does not get rid of her afro hairstyle.
The Economic Freedom Fighters joined the protest on Tuesday‚ and schooling was suspended even after principal Donovan Cairncross addressed the the gathered crowd and apologised for the incident.
Lerato Thipa @LThipa tweeted: “Academic activity at the school at Lawson Brown High School been bought to a halt by protesting pupils. #sabcEC”.
Grade 12 pupil‚ Unathi Gongxeka‚ told the Herald said she felt "violated and victimised" after the incident on Friday when teachers at Lawson Brown High School allegedly told her to straighten or "relax" her hair before they attempted to tie up her afro in order "to make it more beautiful".
If she didn't comply‚ the 18-year-old was apparently warned she would not be allowed to write her trial examinations.
The school has denied claims of racism and that Gongxeka was instructed to straighten her hair. Cairncross said the school was simply enforcing a long-standing hair-related rule which applied to all pupils.
"There was talk of hair not being in line with our code of conduct and pupils were told to tie up their hair. Pupils are alleging racism but we have asked them to point out incidents and no one has been able to‚" Cairncross said.
- TMG Digital/The Herald
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