Johannesburg - A teacher at St John’s College in Johannesburg, that was found guilty of three serious charges, including racism, resigned with immediate effect, the school confirmed on Friday.
The school apologised to the students affected, their parents, the student body, all parents, staff, alumni and everyone else for the hurt caused.
“The well-being and security of our students are our primary concern and we deeply regret the hurt this has caused all our communities. But perceptions that St John’s College condones racism and that racism is widespread are absolutely untrue," headmaster Paul Edey said in a joint statement with the school’s council chairperson, John Patricios, and visiting bishop, Reverend Steve Moreo.
"The College does not condone racism in any form. It will investigate and take action in respect of any racial issue that may arise at the school. The College emphatically rejects racism, in all of its guises. It has no place in a democratic society.”
In the joint statement, the school said that at a meeting between the school’s leadership and the teacher, it was made clear that the situation was "untenable and that the relationship had broken down irretrievably".
It was mutually agreed that the school and teacher would part ways, and the teacher handed in his resignation.
“The decision made by an independent tribunal drew outrage, confusion and appeals for the school to reconsider the sanction from our students, parents, staff and alumni," the statement read.
"We realised that our commitment to abide by the finding of the independent Senior Counsel failed to acknowledge that this was not just an internal school issue, it is an issue for the broader community."
St John’s College said that it had noted the comments and concerns expressed by former and current students, parents and staff around racism and said it would strengthen its transformation efforts.
“We understand that at St John’s College we need to continue to examine our own perceptions, beliefs and motivations, especially in relation to challenging and difficult issues such as racism, bigotry, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, privilege and entitlement. St John’s is committed to transformation and to producing young people who will contribute and aid in the much-needed work to build an inclusive society based on democratic principles of human dignity, non-racialism and non-sexism.”
Earlier, Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi welcomed the news that the teacher left the school with immediate effect.
“We’ve just received a report from St. John C that the teacher has left the employment of the school with immediate effect,” Lesufi said on Twitter.
“I would like to thank the school management and parents for their cooperation and understanding,” he said in a thread on Twitter.
“I hate racism with a passion but I am addicted to non racialism.”
Lesufi visited the school on Friday, and held a meeting with the school management team. According to the provincial education department, he expressed his disappointment and unhappiness following the decision to retain the teacher, even after he was found guilty following a disciplinary process.
The department’s head, Edward Mosuwe, Patricios, and Moreo were present in the meeting.
“The teacher was found guilty of three charges; contravening the South African Council of Educator’s (SACE) Code of Conduct, making racist and derogatory statements and for bringing the school into disrepute,” the department said.
“The MEC said the final written warning was unsatisfactory considering the seriousness of the charges and the guilty finding against the educator.”
Lesufi also met the representatives of the Independent Schools Association of South Africa (ISASA) to discuss the issues facing the private education sector, his department said.
The department said that it was agreed that a summit would be facilitated in September 2017 to deal in detail with all issues affecting private and independent schools in particular. A date for the summit would be announced in due course.
“All Schools, whether they are public or private, cannot have codes of conduct that contravene the Constitution of South Africa. We will deal with racism decisively and not give Racists space to breath because non-racialism is non-negotiable,” Lesufi said in a statement.
The statement said: “The Department takes allegations of racism very seriously and where it rears its ugly head, we will not hesitate to act swiftly to deal with the matter.”