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By Asanda Sokanyile 
9h ago
Cape Town – Human Rights Commissioner Chris Nissen has directly blamed the Western Cape Education Department for the racial outbreak at Brackenfell.
Members of the EFF clashed with police outside the area yesterday. Police spokesman FC van Wyk said nine people were arrested yesterday following scenes of fighting, tear gas and water cannons.
Nissen said the department had to devise an inclusive and socially cohesive policy to help prevent incidents of racial profiling.
“This is not unique to Brackenfell High School, even schools in Delft face discrimination, and we must get to a point where a socially cohesive policy is written to ensure that everyone experiences a unified South Africa,” he said.
There was a high police presence at the corner of Frans Conradie and Paradys Drive, where barbed wire was used as a barrier between the police and the group of EFF supporters who weren’t happy about being banned from the high school where they wanted to deliver. . on a memorandum of demands.
In its memorandum, the party demanded that all teachers and members of the Student Government Board who participated in the organization and attendance of a matrix dance event that excluded black and colored students, be removed from the school within a period of time. seven days.
The party also threatened that if their demand is not met, “this school will become the permanent residence of the EFF, and we will leave only when our demands are met.”
Yesterday, during what was supposed to be a peaceful protest of about 500 people turned chaotic as more than 2,000 EFF supporters were aggrieved by the police refusal to allow them to approach Brackenfell High School, where they had planned to deliver their two points. memorandum.
The police used stun grenades, water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
EFF Provincial President Melikhaya Xego told the crowd that the party was also preparing to close more schools in the Western Cape.
“There is still Rhodes High that we go to. There is still Van Riebeek High that we go to. We will close all these racist schools, ”he said.
The Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation also weighed in on the situation and blamed WCED and the school’s leadership for not solving the problem.
“The seething racial divide seen in Brackenfell today is a consequence of leadership failure. Since the first violent protest at Brackenfell High School in response to a supposedly white-only matrix function, no leader has stepped forward to handle the crisis. Involve the parties. Recognize the systemic issues they embody. Neither the province’s Department of Education nor the school have moved to unequivocally condemn the dividing function. Neither of us seems to recognize the polarities of our society or feel a responsibility to fix them. Brackenfell High School is a symbol of the unresolved issues of South Africa’s past, ”they said.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said: “In recent years, WCED has initiated conversations with schools and we are continually developing a diversity strategy that all schools can leverage.”
Prime Minister Alan Winde said in a statement: “Some students of color in our schools across the country do not feel welcomed or heard. This cannot continue, because the building of our rainbow nation begins with all of us, including our children.
“It is for this very reason that WCED has already initiated a series of programs with schools to address these concerns. And schools, like Brackenfell High School, are taking these concerns seriously with their own initiatives. We are committed to continuing this with the seriousness it deserves, ”he said.
The FW de Klerk Foundation asked “President (Cyril) Ramaphosa and Prime Minister Winde to call for calm and ensure the maintenance of law and order. We also ask them, our churches and the Commission on Human Rights to condemn racist actions and statements by all sides in an impartial manner. “
Ramaphosa urged all stakeholders to act in restraint and act responsibly, “and to resolve their differences peacefully and through dialogue. The racial polarization observed at Brackenfell High School runs counter to the kind of society we are trying to create. Government and communities must share the responsibility to act together to end all forms of racism, racial division and racial inequality. By doing so, we will improve the conditions for lasting reconciliation and unity in our country, goals to which the great the majority of South Africans, black and white, are engaged, ”he said.
Van Wyk said: “The protest action at Brackenfell required police action to uphold the law and disperse the rampant crowd. Eight protesters were arrested on charges of public violence and must appear in court once they have been charged. A member of the public was injured when he tried to interrupt the protest. He was arrested on a charge of incitement and must also appear in court in due course. ”
He added that several police officers, law enforcement vehicles, business windows, as well as private vehicles were damaged.
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