Pretoria - The Gauteng Department of Education has condemned the disruption of schooling at Höerskool Uitsig by regional EFF members, following a video of a learner wearing the party's regalia being manhandled by security personnel surfacing on social media.
The regional EFF in Tshwane has been picketing outside Höerskool Uitsig, in Centurion as of Monday and earlier today in support of the learner who was allegedly manhandled by the school's security personnel for wearing the party's regalia as part of career day.
According to initial reports, the learner wore the regalia as he aspires to be a politician when he grows up.
In the 35-second video, the white security personnel can be seen picking up and dragging the learner out while he hangs on to a light pole asking fellow learners to take a video.
Other learners can be heard in the background shouting, accusing the security guard and the school of alleged racism.
The department's Steve Mabona said the department was aware of the incident. However, he said the department condemned the disruption of schooling.
Mabona said from the information they received, the learner in question had a history of defiance and disregard for the school's discipline system and code of conduct.
Mabona said on the day of the video incident, the learner had opted to come to school despite being placed on a seven-day temporary suspension.
"He (the learner) currently has more than 800 demerit points and awaits a formal School Governing Body disciplinary hearing. The parent of the learner was invited numerous times to the disciplinary meetings but has never been in attendance."
"However, irrespective of his temporary suspension, the learner unlawfully entered the school premises; in effect breaching the conditions of his suspension. This, therefore, prompted the security personnel to remove the learner from the school yard in line with the school’s code of conduct."
Mabona said the departments' district officials were working closely with law enforcement agencies to monitor the situation at the school, especially as further threats of protest action had been received.
Pretoria News