Johannesburg - Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi on Friday welcomed the decision by St John’s College in Johannesburg to fire a teacher found guilty of three serious charges, including racism.
"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."
According to the department, the teacher left the school with immediate effect.
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, the school’s council chairperson, John Patricios, and visiting bishop, Reverend Steve 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."