Premier

I am informed by the Department of Education that the Milnerton High School bullying incident was not race related.

The school is following all the necessary protocols in terms of WCED’s Abuse no More policy and Disciplinary procedures:

• Upon hearing the allegations, on Friday, 17 October, the SGB immediately initiated an investigation. The school was not aware that a video had been circulated.
• Counselling support was initiated.
• The video was made public on social media platforms on 21 October.
• An urgent SGB meeting was held on Tuesday, 21 October 2025, where it was resolved to place the accused learners on precautionary suspension.
• The alleged perpetrators were suspended and subsequently arrested. A criminal case was registered with SAPS, and the accused learners appeared in court on 23 October 2025.
• The SGB initiated formal disciplinary proceedings.
• Psycho-social support has been provided by the school counsellor and the WCED district support team.
• The District Safe Schools Office activated SAPS, SAPS POP, Metro Police, and Traffic on 22 and 23 October to ensure the safety of teachers and learners at the school and manage protests by political organizations. Contingency plans were established for the NSC examinations.

Racism in schools:

The WCED does not tolerate racism in our schools and where allegations are made, they will be immediately investigated by the School Governing Body, who are responsible for establishing and enforcing Schools’ Codes of Conduct under the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996.

The school curriculum covers this topic extensively, and schools’ codes of conduct address it.

In the school curriculum, learners are taught about different cultural groups and major religions, and concepts such as discrimination, stereotyping and bias.

In the higher grades, issues such as promoting nation building, citizens’ rights and responsibilities and respecting differences in terms of race, gender and ability are covered in the curriculum.

WCED aims to ensure that these topics are discussed and understood by learners, and where incidents occur, they are immediately investigated by the School Governing Bodies.