EDITORIAL | School clashes remind us we are not as transformed as we think we are

Finding a South African who will openly admit to being racist is as rare as hooking a coelacanth off the Transkei coast.

But the clashes at Hoërskool Jan Viljoen in Randfontein, Johannesburg this week have once again demonstrated that racism is still thriving in some communities — even among people who most of the time genuinely believe they are not racist at all.

Yet simmering in their sub conscious (sometimes not very deep but just under the surface) is a bizarre belief that their long-historic privilege somehow makes them better, more senior, than others. That their customs and belief systems somehow make them superior.  

This ludicrous mentality can lie dormant for weeks, months and even years. But when triggered, it bubbles to the surface, with devastating consequences. Tempers flare. Words are said that cannot be taken back. The fallout can be cataclysmic.

With the proverbial flick of a switch, people degenerate to a default mindset that should have died out decades ago — a “them and us” stance by which all our commonalities are forgotten and replaced with one overriding factor: skin colour. It is complete foolishness.

Why is it that, 28 years after democracy, these notions are still ingrained in some, while most have long moved on and embraced the multicultural magnificence that SA offers? Is it because true democracy — in which everyone has equal opportunity — remains so elusive?

Even more of a mystery is how children who were born into a democratic dispensation, long after apartheid fell, hold this deep-seated misconception of privilege and superiority. Do they inherit it from their parents?

What does it say about our people, our rainbow nation? It speaks volumes about SA’s mindset and is a sad indictment on our citizens.

The clash at the school is believed to have been sparked by circulated video footage of a fight between two pupils. While the audio is unclear, it is claimed that the k-word was used.

Why is it that, 28 years after democracy, these notions are still ingrained in some, while most have long moved on and embraced the multi-cultural magnificence that SA offers?

On Monday, Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi visited the school, where parents and other groups protested outside. Some chanted struggle songs and others stood with folded arms at the school gate, while others prayed. The crowd became volatile and police discharged rubber bullets and sprayed a water canon to disperse the protesters.

The school has been closed, as authorities try get to the bottom of what happened.

Lesufi has said he will be handing over evidence related to allegations of racism to police and the SA Human Rights Commission. This includes WhatsApp messages and footage of the fight.

Both the school and the department must act quickly and decisively on this issue. If racist language was used, the guilty pupil or pupils must immediately be expelled.

When South Africans read stories such as these in the media, and see these videos online, they can be forgiven for thinking that SA is still an inherently racist nation. And perhaps it is. But the truth is that the vast majority of South Africans abhor racism and are nauseated by its vile nature.

But racism is a sneaky thing. Deep-seated suspicion between black and white still exists in some communities. We are not as transformed as we would like to think we are.

The wildly obvious cases such as Penny Sparrow and Vicky Momberg are few and far between. In most cases, racism is supressed, disguised and dormant, just waiting for an opportunity. Like a predator lurking in a dark alley. 

And that is what we need to guard against.​ Because there can be no transformation in SA until people are prepared to ask themselves uncomfortable questions, and root out any prejudice that hides at the back of their psyche.