The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education and Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture, Elleck Nchabeleng, has condemned in the strongest terms an incident where a black pupil was forced to bow on his knees before a fellow white pupil at Milnerton High School.
In a statement on Tuesday, Nchabeleng said the committee has called on the school and the Western Cape Provincial Department of Education to leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of the matter and for the perpetrators to face the appropriate consequences.
According to media reports, the two male pupils had a fight over a bench during break time last week.
After the matter was reported to a teacher, the following day, the head of the school’s disciplinary committee made the black pupil get on his knees and bow to the white pupil several times.
Furthermore, the black pupil was made to raise his hands up and down while he was on his knees in front of some learners.
Expressing his anguish to other learners, the black pupil said the humiliation he suffered stripped him of his dignity.
“It is extremely shocking and disgusting to learn about incidents of this nature taking place at schools that are supposed to be places where seeds of non-racialism and non-sexism are sowed.
“The committee condemns this alleged humiliation in strongest terms and it should also be condemned by all at Milnerton High,” Nchabeleng said.