Classes at the Witbank Technical High School in Mpumalanga have been suspended for one week after chaos broke loose between parents over racism allegations.
Monday morning outside of the school premises in eMalahleni took a turn for the worse after black and white parents started physically assaulting one another by using sticks and throwing stones.
This brawl took place as a result of the school’s suspension of students after a video surfaced showing black and white pupils allegedly fighting with each other, says News24. It is understood that the school had only suspended certain pupils.
TimesLive reports that a mother, whose child was implicated in the alleged assault video said that he had been suspended, however, she felt that the school had handled the matter poorly.
“The school sent the video to the local newspaper without our consent as parents. They also didn’t suspend all the pupils who were also fighting. Why did they suspend our kids only?” she asked.
In 2020, racism allegations were investigated at the school, and the department stated that it would engage the school to implement the recommendations of that probe, News24 adds.
The suspended pupils are expected to face a hearing on Thursday.
WATCH IT HERE: (This content may disturb sensitive viewers)
#ProtestAction Reports of violent clashes between parents and Protesters at Technical School in Witbank. No @SAPoliceService on scene.. @BOSBEER2006 @1SecondLater @MARIUSBROODRYK @News24 @eNCA pic.twitter.com/4qgs916eis
— BOSBEER.COM (@BOSBEER2006) June 14, 2021
[WATCH] Violence ensued outside the Witbank Technical High School in Mpumalanga between parents. Black parents are protesting after an alleged racism incident happened at the school last week Tuesday. @mwelimasilela is monitoring the story. pic.twitter.com/vvYUMz6hwQ
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) June 14, 2021
Picture: Unsplash / Twitter