The ANC caucus in the Western Cape legislature has called for a full investigation into deeply disturbing footage of a group of high school pupils purportedly auctioning off their black classmates in Cape Town.
Footage depicted coloured pupils bidding up to R100,000 before the start of school last Thursday for their peers who were allegedly rounded up and placed in a confined space at Pinelands High School.
Leader of the opposition in the provincial legislature Khalid Sayed commended the swift response by the school. Several pupils were suspended.
Their honesty and transparency in handling this matter are commendable. The counselling provided to affected learners, staff and the broader community is a crucial first step. However, this must be coupled with sustained and open dialogues about racism, especially within former Model C schools, said Sayed.
This incident reflects the pervasive problem of racism that often goes unreported in many of the former Model C schools in the Western Cape. It is alarming that such attitudes persist among high school learners, suggesting a failure to adequately address and combat racism at a systemic level.
