South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday called for peace and calm following clashes between members of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and parents of students at Brackenfell High School in Cape Town following accusations of “racism.”
The clashes took place outside the school gate on Monday after EFF members staged protests against alleged racism at the private school whose students are taking final year examinations.
According to reports, 42 white students at the school held “a private party” which was not attended by any black students, thereby triggering the fracas between the militants of the EFF and the white students’ parents.
School officials, however, have denied any racism involved in the organisation of the student gathering.
“At this most important and difficult time for final years students, not only at Brackenfell High School but around the country, the spectacle of parents and protestors coming to blows at the school gate is deeply unfortunate,” Ramaphosa said.
He added: “It is the right of every South African to engage in peaceful protest, and any actions to suppress the right to freedom of expression, particularly through violence and intimidation, must be roundly condemned.”
According to the South African leader, the brawl at the school brought back “hurtful memories of a past the country should never seek to return to.”
Therefore, allegations of racism levelled against the school needed to be urgently investigated, he said.
“We should be ever mindful of the extent to which our actions, both publicly and in private, undermine the cherished principle of non-racialism upon which our democracy was founded,” the president said.
He called on all parties concerned to exercise restraint and to resolve their differences peacefully and through dialogue.
“We should not allow what has transpired at Brackenfell High School to be used by any groupings who want to cause racial polarisation,” Ramaphosa said.
NM/jn/APA