Protests threaten to disrupt matric exams for deaf pupils in Eastern Cape

The Deaf Federation of South Africa (DeafSA) confirmed there were disruptions at the St Thomas School for the Deaf in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday as learners were scheduled to sit for their matric examinations.

National director Bruno Druchen said the disruptions were unacceptable‚ adding that deaf children were once again finding themselves at a disadvantage.

"We don’t know the essence of the strike. We are busy communicating with [our representative] who is in the school‚" said Druchen.

He could not immediately confirm whether the pupils‚ who were sitting for the English paper‚ had started on time.

"We are waiting for our correspondence on that‚" he said.

Images posted on Twitter showed a small crowd‚ described as disgruntled National Education‚ Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) workers protesting outside the school.

It was not immediately clear what the workers grievances were.

The Eastern Cape education department told TimesLIVE it was aware of the disruptions.

This is a developing story.