The management and board of a top private school say they did not attend the public hearings called by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) into claims of racism and discrimination at the institution because they were not given details of the allegations.
The SAHRC also invited staff, parents and former and current pupils of Cornwall Hill College in Pretoria to participate in the inquiry, which took place last Tuesday and Wednesday, after an antiracism protest at the school in May last year.
One of the parents, Zibusiso Kganyago, wife of Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago, told the Sunday Times earlier this month about a submission she gave to the SAHRC in October which voiced concerns about what it said is a lack of transformation and a general racial divide at the school.
In the 59-page document Kganyago and fellow members of the diversity and transformation committee (DTC) said they were not aware of a single “person of colour” who had served on the executive management team since the founding of the school in 1998.
The school, where fees for grade 10 to 12 pupils are about R100,000 this year, has an exclusively white executive management team.
The predominantly white board subsequently accused her of sending an unauthorised document to the SAHRC.
Kganyago, in turn, said the school’s reaction was an attempt “to isolate and target individuals who have been outspoken about racism there”.
Requiring staff members to take two days off from their teaching duties at the school would disrupt the academic schedule and deprive learners of two days of teaching.
— Cornwall Hill College
Outlining why it did not attend the hearings, the school said it was not given adequate time to prepare submissions on the allegations or given documents that the commission may have about the claims.
“Requiring staff members to take two days off from their teaching duties at the school would disrupt the academic schedule and deprive learners of two days of teaching.”
It said if proper and timely arrangements had been made with the school, “this could have been avoided”.
The institution said the SAHRC informed it in a letter dated March 21 that it was not mandatory for it to make submissions during the hearings.
The SAHRC wrote to Cornwall Hill College after it received a letter from the school on March 18 seeking clarity on the framework of the inquiry.
Sunday Times Daily was reliably informed by parents that in their letter to the SAHRC the school also expressed concern about the less than seven days’ notice given to prepare for the hearings.
Three of the seven days fell over the recent long weekend.
The school stated that the SAHRC indicated in its letter that “we have no allegations to answer at this stage”.
“Only once all statements are collated by the commission, which it says will be by April 11, will the school be expected to respond to any allegations made against it.”
Cornwall Hill College, which said it made written submissions to the SAHRC on numerous occasions, indicated “there is no place for racism or discrimination at our school”.
“We actively promote tolerance and inclusion, among both staff and pupils, and seek to ensure that all members of the school community feel accepted and valued.”
It said after its investigation into the complaints “it is clear there is the necessity for continuous, concerted and constructive change in a number of areas and we are consciously working on improvement”.
In a letter to past and current members of the DTC, dated March 18, the chairperson of the board, Prithinee Naidoo, informed them the school took legal advice on the SAHRC process and proposed inquiry.
“It was advised that any requirement or expectation that individuals from the school or its structures to participate in the inquiry would be unlawful.”
Naidoo told them it was “entirely up to them” to decide whether to attend the hearings.
A parent said since the formation of the DTC, eight members had left, including one whose child had completed matric.
“They left mostly because of the frustration of not making an impact and disagreements in the DTC. The common feeling was: ‘I keep asking myself, is it worth it?’.”
Buang Jones, head of the SAHRC in Gauteng, confirmed the hearings had taken place, adding: “We have been advised not to provide running commentary on this investigation.”
Last year the SAHRC rejected a request by the board asking the commission to amend a questionnaire it was preparing to send to pupils as part of its inquiry. The questions included whether pupils thought there was racism at the school and whether they had experienced racist bullying.
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