The South African Communist Party (SACP) in Gauteng has noted with deep concern the ruling by the North Gauteng High Court to set aside the Gauteng department of education's progressive instruction to the Overvaal high school to admit 55 extra Grade Eight pupils.

We therefore urge the MEC for education in Gauteng cde Panyaza Lesufi to urgently appeal this ruling by Judge Bill Prinsloo, who found in Overvaal high school governing body’s favour.

We are deeply concerned by this ruling as it contradicts the efforts of our democratic government to transform the education system at large for the benefit of the majority of our learners.

Of particular concern, are allegations of manipulation of the admission processes through racial profiling of children which we deem as an overt utilisation of language as a barrier and exclusionary tactic for non-Afrikaans speaking African learners.

We commend the Gauteng Government and MEC Lesufi for their relentless struggle for the transformation and access of education in our province. We also encourage the department to continue waging the struggle to its logical conclusion. This includes the struggle for the teaching of progressive ideas throughout our education system.

As the SACP in Gauteng we pledge our full support and solidarity to the department, MEC Lesufi and the parents of the affected children.

In this regard, we will be mobilising for mass protest action until such blatant acts of racism are completely rooted out in our education system. 


Issued by the SACP Gauteng province