Latest news with #PhillipaErasmus
The Citizen
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
If it ain't broke, break it anyway
Pretoria Girls' High saga reveals how political agendas undermine dedicated educators and functioning schools. If only the Gauteng education department's racism SWAT team – the fastest scrambling unit anywhere in government – was as good at hunting out weapons and drugs in our schools as it is chasing the ghosts of victimisation, then perhaps our institutions of learning would be a whole lot better off. We have just witnessed the sick spectacle of the department conducting an expensive and ultimately unsuccessful witch-hunt against the principal of Pretoria High School for Girls, Phillipa Erasmus, over trumped up allegations of racism among her pupils. The details of the alleged case are not worth going into, save to say that no less a personage than former president Thabo Mbeki and a team of similar luminaries could find no evidence of racism. Yet, despite that, education MEC Matome Chiloane and his henchmen pursued the unfortunate Erasmus. In the end, a disciplinary hearing – questionable in and of it itself – found her guilty of two breaches… failing to do her duty when appointing a new finance manager for the school and allowing her husband, Mike, to help tend the school's gardens – for free, nogal! Quite what the motive for the crusade against Erasmus is, is not clear, although there is probably an element of jealousy in the fact that this white-run school is excellent by any educational standards. ALSO READ: Payment delays for school assistants caused by DBE verification issues Maybe there is a black school head waiting in the wings – possibly a well-connected ANC apparatchik – to take over to push the claim of black excellence… who knows? Meanwhile, in the schools in poorer areas, there are principals who have bought their positions, who dip their fingers into the school funds, fire teachers on a whim and generally show that, for them, teaching is just another way to acquire wealth. In these schools, unionist teachers don't give a damn, pitching up late and then sexually harassing the youngsters they are meant to mentor and protect. Sure, that is a generalisation, but it is not an exaggeration of what is going on in the lower quintile schools, where the ANC hierarchy would never send their kids. Also, while there are undoubtedly dedicated and professional teachers and heads in some of these schools, the jewels in the crown of education in Gauteng are those former model C ones which often have whites at the helm. ALSO READ: Two schoolboys face court over fatal stabbing of Pretoria pupil I know – my wife taught at one of them. I marvelled at how they nurtured girls who were not only knowledgeable but confident. Some have gone on to become leaders themselves in the private sector. My wife and her colleagues lived to teach. At the school my son and daughter attended, the much-reviled 'standards' are still high both in academic and sporting terms. The same is true of many Afrikaans schools: just down the road from us, Laerskool Fairland produced Olympic champion and world record holder Tatjana Smith. Because they are perceived by the ANC as enclaves of Afrikaner privilege, these schools are now also in the sights of the ANC through the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill. ALSO READ: Waterkloof principal transferred amid witness interference claims However, the ANC, in its headlong pursuit of the chimera of transformation, apparently does not believe in the truism that 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it…' On the contrary, in most places in society it has taken functioning systems – from Eskom, to the defence force, to municipalities, to virtually every single state-owned enterprise – and broken them. And, all the while, as we pursue the ghosts of the past and our victimisation, the rest of Africa is queuing up to eat our lunch. By the time we wake up, we'll be a 'has-been' nation…
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Pretoria Girls High principal found guilty of misconduct
Phillipa Erasmus was found not guilty of failing to enforce the school's disciplinary code in relation to racism allegations. After the collapse of racism allegations against Pretoria High School for Girls principal Phillipa Erasmus, she has been found guilty of allowing her husband to work for free to maintain the school's gardens. Erasmus was charged by the Gauteng department of education with three counts of misconduct, including allegations of racism levelled against her and others at the school earlier this year. Racism charges dismissed by hearing officer That charge – of failing to enforce the school's disciplinary code – was dismissed by the presiding officer at a disciplinary hearing, identified only as Mr V Phephenyani. That charge related to claims last July that 12 white matric girls had allegedly been sharing racist comments on a 'whites only' WhatsApp group. A subsequent independent investigative report by attorney Charles Mdladlamba recommended that action should be taken against the principal, deputy principal, two teachers, the estate manager, the HR manager and the acting principal. It found the principal and HR manager failed to comply with their obligations and committed misconduct. 'No substance' found in key allegation However, on the charge related to the supposed WhatsApp group of racism – which led to the 12 girls being suspended – Phephenyani found that there was 'no substance from the employer's claim against the accused'. He found Erasmus guilty on a second charge of misconduct in connection with the appointment of a finance manager at the school. ALSO READ: Pretoria High School for Girls: White teachers don't greet black colleagues 'because they did not know whether they are cleaners' The other guilty verdict was returned because Erasmus had allowed her husband, Mike Erasmus, to help manage the school's gardens for no pay and to use the school vehicle – which was bought by the school governing body and not the department of education. Department accused of shifting goalposts Activist and lawyer Richard Wilkinson, who has written on the case after being briefed by concerned parents said: 'Having finally abandoned the 'racism' narrative, the department has simply shifted tactics in its effort to remove Mrs Erasmus. 'Their approach can be summed up in a single line: 'If we can't get her for racism, we'll get her for something else'.' He added: 'But in doing so, the mask has truly slipped. In the final analysis and at its core, this was never about racism. It was – and remains – about power and control. 'It is about the political capture of schools, no different from what has already occurred in countless government departments over the past few decades.' Teachers union criticises process transparency SAOU Teachers Union spokesperson Dems Nel said Erasmus was accused of racism and several unsubstantiated allegations were made that racism was present at the school. 'She was suspended from her position and the SAOU had to step in and refer a dispute to the Education Labour Relations Council to ensure that she was reinstated to her position,' she said. Nel said after the department appointed a law firm to conduct an investigation, Erasmus was charged. 'The purpose of the investigation was to determine if there was racism at the school or not,' she said. ALSO READ: Another Pretoria Girls High pupil suspended after video with 'racial undertones' 'To date, the contents of the report have not been made public, and not even the charged employees have had the opportunity to see what the investigation yielded and to be able to respond.' Nel said despite the fact that there were numerous allegations of racism at the school, Erasmus was never charged with racism. But she was charged with failing to implement the school's code of conduct. Erasmus was represented by SAOU in the disciplinary hearing and found not guilty on the charge of not implementing the school's code of conduct. Final sanction still pending 'It is true that she was found guilty of charge 2, which dealt with the appointment of the school's financial manager as well as charge 3, which dealt with her husband's involvement in managing the school's gardeners and the use of the school's vehicle,' said Nel. 'However, the process has not yet been finalised and we are still waiting to hear what the sanction will be. As a result, it would be unfair to elaborate on these charges at this stage.' She said the presiding officer may consider possible sanctions in terms of Section 18(3) of the Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998 that include counselling, verbal warning, written warning, final written warning, fine not exceeding one month's salary, suspension without pay for a period not exceeding three months, or demotion. 'Upon receipt of the sanction, the SAOU and Erasmus will make an informed decision on whether or not to take the matter further to the Education Labour Relations Council to challenge the outcome and sanction,' Nel said. The department and the South African Council for Educators declined to comment on the matter. NOW READ: Pretoria Girls High SGB takes legal action against Gauteng Education Department over racism controversy
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
When crying racism becomes dangerous
Calling out racism falsely can ruin reputations and dilute the struggle against real prejudice. We must tread carefully. Perhaps the most serious accusation you can throw at anyone in our racially divided country is to accuse them of racism… because the automatic presumption of innocence is often turned on its head and the accused must prove they are not guilty. In South Africa today, with its well-documented history of white racism – and don't argue about that, because apartheid was exactly that – it's understandable that the majority of accusations of racism are levelled against whites, or non-Africans. There is even an often-touted belief that it is impossible for victims of racism to be racist themselves, which is an absurd construct. When allegations of racism turn out to be wrong – incorrect at best or deliberately trumped-up at worst – then a stigma still remains and the victims often struggle to clear their names, even when found not guilty in formal proceedings. Such seems to be the case with the head of Pretoria High School for Girls, Phillipa Erasmus, who was hung out to dry earlier this year by the Gauteng department of education over claims that white pupils were making racist comments on a supposed 'whites-only' WhatsApp group. ALSO READ: Playing race card is red herring After 12 white girls were suspended and a supposed investigation conducted by the department, the allegations of racism has turned out to be false. Yet, as lawyer and activist Richard Wilkinson correctly points out, the department seems to want to get rid of Erasmus on any charges, now that the racism claims have imploded. Now she has been found guilt of misconduct for, among other things, allowing her husband to help tend to the school gardens – for free. This state of affairs is absurd. Crying racism when there is none – like crying wolf – hurts those who are its real victims… and can encourage more racism in future. ALSO READ: 'Bring all to dialogue': Experts insist national dialogue must be people-driven Let's not ignore that reality.
