WATCH | Pupils return to Jan Viljoen high school but parents remain uneasy

Classes resumed at the Jan Viljoen high school in Randfontein on Thursday morning. 

The school was closed on Monday afternoon after a racism furore, with black pupils alleging they were treated differently from their white counterparts. Parents who gathered outside the school clashed with police, leading to concerns about pupil safety. 

On Thursday the school reopened and TimesLIVE Video spoke to some parents and pupils who were happy that life was returning to normal. 

One Randfontein resident, Nthinogang Mosala, called for the school’s management to be changed. 

Meanwhile some pupils who arrived late said they were still concerned about racism at the school and their safety on the way to school.

Speaking in Afrikaans, the pupils said they can’t walk through a veld, which is a shorter route to school, because someone was recently killed there.

“The racism isn’t only from the children but also from the teachers,” the pupils said. They added that white children were not punished in the same manner as black children. 

Parents are expected to meet Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi later in the day.  Education department officials visited the school in the morning to ensure that schooling was taking place.

TimesLIVE