Leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) will today be leading an anti-racism protest at Brackenfell High school. The protest follows a matric valediction that only saw white matric students in attendance.
Although the school has since argued that it was a private function, the EFF is having none of it. Prior to today’s protest, the EFF conducted an earlier protest which was attended by some local EFF members over the matric valediction which saw to the attack of some EFF members including 22-year-old Sibongile Nkasayi, who was battered by a baseball bat by a certain white man.
“Today we are marching to Brackenfell we are going in full force and our commander in chief will be leading the march.
It’s a legal march, we are going to hand a memorandum of demands to the school pertaining to the issue of racism we will be about 100 people, however, we are not going to interact with students we will be very far from the school about 500m away we will march to the school once the exams are finished at 12 o’clock it’s a peaceful march nothing will happen,” said Nosipho Makamba-Botya, EFF Western Cape’s deputy chairperson.
However, MEC for Education in the Western Cape province, Debbie Schäefer, said the protest was most likely going to affect the focus of the matriculants who are writing this morning.
“How will students write their Physical Science exam for three hours knowing the EFF is there it’s going to be disruptive, nevertheless, we are hoping they won’t disrupt anything. Moreover, we are keeping the school open and it will close earlier than normal we advice people to stay away from the school,” said the MEC.
In addition, Schäefer said it was the EFF’s Constitutional right to protest but cited that they are all about causing confusion amongst races.
“They have the Constitutional right to protest but they want to cause confusion among races. However, I acknowledge that the school looks predominantly white but we are looking into the issue as a department, but we can’t fire all teachers regardless, I think they are not diverse enough,” said Schäefer.