Cape Town - About 200 Sans Souci Girls’ High pupils shouted slogans, sang Xhosa songs and held up placards denouncing racism in a protest which continued for nearly four hours.
The group, which at one stage blocked all three gates to the Newlands school and wouldn’t allow vehicles to leave the premises, said they were barred from speaking Xhosa, had complaints about their hair and had to learn Afrikaans.
Witnesses and the police said Charmaine Murray, principal for 17 years, fled to her office yesterday after a short, failed meeting with some pupils in the hall.
Protesters held placards with slogans such as “I’m an African original”, “Murray is anti-black”, “Proud Xhosa” and “Our language is who we are”.
They said there were only white teachers at the school, and none spoke Xhosa.
At first, the main gate was locked and protesters were barred from entering. But later pupils in full school uniform were let in and continued protesting inside the school grounds.
Othandowayo Mgqoboka, who matriculated from the school last year, addressed the group in the parking area in front of Newlands swimming pool before they marched to the school.
“We are here for one thing and one thing only - to fight for our rights as black students,” she said. She shouted: “Run, Murray, run!” with the crowd chanting in reply: “Run! Run!”
At one stage the girls in the parking lot ran screaming towards a small group of mostly white pupils from nearby Westerford High School to welcome them.
A little later, they did the same when a group of Sans Souci matriculants left the school to join them.
A small group of pupils from Groote Schuur High also arrived in support later in the afternoon.
A Grade 11 Sans Souci pupil complained: “We have to sit like idiots in Afrikaans class and it’s compulsory. Our school is predominantly black. Our parents pay school fees of R29 000 a year, yet we’re not offered Xhosa.”
Mgqoboka said the school enforced “white standards”.
“We have to hear how dreadlocks are unprofessional in the workplace. They say we gossip if we speak Xhosa. This is psychologically affecting us.”
A 13-year-old pupil said Xhosa was considered “too exotic” and “our hair makes the school look untidy, but they don’t say the same to pupils with straight hair”.
She burst into tears while being interviewed and was comforted by two fellows as she added: “It hurts us every day. We have to wear big fat smiles and pretend we’re proud to be in Sans Souci. But we’re treated with such disrespect. Our hair is not proper… our language is not proper. But our parents don’t even speak English.”
Weekend Argus