Pupils at a Durban school blocked the entrances and exits to the grounds yesterday amid accusations teachers had called them "monkeys".
The drama unfolded at the George Campbell School of Technology at about 1pm. The pupils used benches and concrete bollards to prevent parents, staff and union members from entering or leaving the grounds.
Metro police and SAPS officers were at the school. There was no violence.
The protest leader, a matric student who did not wish to be identified, said teachers called black pupils "monkeys" and other racially-charged names.
"We are being called monkeys and when we question it we are told that that is part of the boer culture and that is how they are made," the pupil said.
"One teacher allows Afrikaans to be spoken in his class and engages students in the language, but if I try to speak Zulu I am reprimanded and told it is a stupid language. We decided to close the gates until our concerns are addressed," he said.