Cape Town - High school pupils who are being taught in shipping containers have laid charges against “trigger-happy racist police” after a protest in the Cape Town city centre last week.
Representatives for the 683 Grade 10 to 12 pupils from Philippi Secondary School said police called pupils the K-word before injuring some of them outside the Western Cape Education Department’s offices on Friday.
Principal Mandisa Cenga said the 15 containers at Hinds Park Primary School were supposed to be a temporary solution for the high school pupils in 2007.
Frustration over the department’s failure to build a proper high school led pupils to protest.
In an e-mail sent to the Cape Times, pupil Athule Baba wrote: “While pushing, shoving and even hitting us, police repeatedly called us the K-word, threatened us, insulted us and told us to go back to the township as we did not belong in the city centre. Five students were badly injured. We have since laid charges of assault.”
Western Cape police commissioner Arno Lamoer said the allegations of racism and violence allegedly perpetrated by police would be investigated.
Police spokesman Frederick van Wyk said: “The pupils were asked to disperse as their gathering was illegal. They refused to do so, and police were met with resistance.
“Police started to used stun grenades in an attempt to defuse the situation.
“Some of the pupils suffered injuries and a case of public violence is being investigated.”
Cape Times