Cape Town - Mitchells Plain parents have taken matters into their own hands, protesting from school to school in the area to find a solution for the bullying and pupil placement issues in the area.
The residents started their protest at Huguenot Primary School, then moved to Tafelsig Primary School, Mitchells Heights Primary, Tafelsig and AZ Berman High School.
The protest, which saw over 20 parents participating, was organised by community activist and chairperson of grassroots developmental organisation Mum Touching Lives, Philidelphia Hartzenberg.
“The reason for this protest is firstly the bullying in the schools. Secondly, there is no place in our schools for our own children. We are now sitting as we speak with a case of a parent who wants to register his child for next year, Grade R, but they are telling him that there is no place. So now, where does this put our children?
“And this online application, the people have to apply now, and most of us in Tafelsig Freedom Park do not have phones, and there is no wifi, so it is a huge problem in our community,” said Hartzenberg.
Hartzenberg, who has been a community worker for 10 years, said she was worried the placement issues would made the pupils vulnerable to drugs and gangsterism.
“It is hard for me because it is about how they treat our people. I see how children become gangsters. I see how they go to drugs from 8-10 already. They are gangsters. They sit in corners. I do not know. Do our children still have a future?”
Hartzenberg said she knew of a 17-year-old who has been seeking admission for Grade 8 since 2020, to no avail.
“I have a pupil here, her mother and father applied for her online in 2020, and in 2021 there was no place for her. In 2022, there is no place for her, but she applied for it online.”
“I have another boy here with me, his mother passed on a few years back, and he is my neighbour, and I am assisting him. There is no place for him as well. He was out of school last year and this year.”
“These children want to go to school and these things affect their future. This child is 17 years old now.”
Hartzenberg said that the community wanted the department to step in and either build more schools or capacitate existing schools.
“Their policy is that they cannot close the door to any school child. I will forward them a list of all the children who are out of school and then see what the outcome will be,” she said.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it was aware of the demonstrations morning.
“The WCED is aware of the small demonstration and had a constructive engagement with their delegation. Teaching and learning were not disrupted. Approximately 180 Grade 1 and 8 learners still need to be placed. However, we are still getting replacement requests as late as today,” said Bronagh Hammond, the WCED’s communications director.
The department said it had requested a list of unplaced pupils and sent a delegation to address the community’s grievances.
“The delegation could not give us specifics on all the learners they allege are not in school – however, this will be addressed once information is forthcoming,” she said.
The department said parents who did not have access to devices can apply via their district offices or the pop-ups by the WCED at shopping malls and schools.
“Some schools have communicated to parents that they will be opening their labs for parents to apply. The pop-ups will assist parents directly in applying, our IT equipment, and paper-based applications will be made available if queues get too long and will be captured online after that by our staff.
“On March 26 and 27, they will be at Gugulethu Mall and Khayelitsha Mall and on April 2 and 3, they will be at Parow Centre and N1 City Mall,” she added.
IOL