‘This is completely unacceptable’: Lesufi and Ndlozi condemn video of teacher combing pupil’s hair

Gauteng education MEC Lesufi Panyaza has condemned a viral video of a teacher roughly combing a pupil’s hair at an unnamed school.

In the video, the woman can be seen holding her class outside while she makes a row of boys line up to have their natural hair combed before entering the school gates. In the background, pupils can be heard disagreeing with the teacher’s style of combing.

Lesufi said the act was “totally unacceptable” and asked that it be verified by his colleagues.

EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi also weighed in on the video, saying the act was “child abuse, black self-hate and definitively illegal”.

“This woman must be found and put to the book. You can’t teach kids to hate their hair. No! Her treatment of black hair is the same as that of white racists who tell black kids to remove or hide their Afros,” Ndlozi said.

He said the best thing the teacher could have done was write a letter to the pupils’ parents instead of “violently combing” their hair.

“It’s the indignity of standing at school gates, violently combing kids’ hair. Why not write to their parents? Why not ask kids to do it themselves in a private space? In any way, why the hell must they comb? Will it make them more teachable? Why humiliate them because of hair?” he asked.

In a separate tweet, Ndlozi said there was nothing wrong with one wearing their hair naturally.

“In defence of Afro, uncombed black hair is neat, even in children. We are beautiful! And we don’t need your combs”.

Among social media users the video drew mixed reactions, with many justifying the teacher’s actions. Here is a snapshot of some of the reactions: