Charges on ice for three 'EFF' boys

Charges against three pupils whose social media tweet caused a furore at one of the country's oldest schools have been put on hold, pending an education department probe into racism.

The parents of three Maritzburg College pupils were informed last week that their sons were facing disciplinary charges regarding a picture posted on social media in which the three posed in school uniform holding T-shirts with the words: "EFF our last hope of getting our land back", written on them.

The post sparked a huge outcry, with the EFF vowing to take action against the school for charging the three.

EFF national spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the party rejected the school's action as "pure apartheid, Nazi and colonial thinking".

He said charging the boys was in direct violation of the constitution.

Education department officials met Maritzburg College's governing body and principal yesterday.

Department spokesman Muzi Mahlambi said: "The school has not dropped the charges, but put everything on hold, pending the conclusion of our full-scale investigations relating to racial matters at the school as has been reported."

Education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwana said: "I can confirm we have sent our officials to the school. We sent them because we did not want the EFF to politicise the issue.

"I can also confirm that neither the kids nor their parents are members of the EFF, but because of perceived racism at the school, we are made to understand that the kids did this just to agitate the teachers."

The picture of the three boys, which went viral on Friday, has raised questions about racism, freedom of expression and what old boy Kevin Pietersen, the former England cricketer, described as "total disrespect for a once-great school".

The elite school faced a social media backlash over the disciplinary charges. Initially the boys were said to face charges that included breaking the SA Schools Act.