Cape Town – The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is under pressure to release the investigative report into the Brackenfell High School matric ball incident after it found no racist motives behind it.
The department said last week the report contained confidential or sensitive information and it would not be appropriate to release it.
The EFF said it was not surprised by Education MEC Debbie Schäfer’s decision not to release the investigative report. The EFF, ANC and other organisations has lodged an Promotion for Access to Information Act (PAIA), application in a bid to gain access to the report.
The allegations of racism led to protests by the that turned violent. However, in a preliminary report, compiled by the department, following its investigation into the incident, had cleared the school of racism.
Schäfer said they decided to release a statement, given the need to clarify the facts in the matter and the many inaccuracies that were disseminated regarding the event.
Schäfer said it would not be appropriate to release the report itself given the need to protect third party, confidential or sensitive information contained in the document.
"People may submit a PAIA application, which would enable us to deal appropriately with such information, as well as obtain any necessary consent to release it," she said.
Progressive Principals' Association (PPA) spokesperson Faiek Abrahams said everyone had a right to access the fundamental findings of the report. If there was confidential information relating to particular persons involved then one must consider the PAIA as well.
"However, we cannot continue to tolerate the levels of cover-ups that we are seeing in our beautiful country. The WCED needs to be consistent in their approach to disciplinary matters," he said.
ANC provincial spokesperson on education Khalid Sayed, said he has already submitted a PAIA application.
Sayed said the ANC would like to study the actual report of WCED so that they could give proper comment on the matter of institutionalised racism and assess a way forward.
He said given the importance of tackling racism in the educational institutions, they were very disturbed that the MEC refused to make the report public.
"This points to the possibility of an attempt to cover-up any wrong doing at the school as has been the case with WCED's favourable treatment of former Model C schools," he said.
He said the MEC already expressed her views on the matter even before an investigation was done. "We have subsequently on Friday lodged an official PAIA request for the report to be made available."
EFF Western Cape chairperson Melikhaya Xego said: "We wish to reiterate our position that we will never stand on the side lines and be quiet when racism shows its ugly face to undermine the dignity of our people, we will confront it head on and that is exactly what we did in Brackenfell."
Brackenfell High School's governing body (SGB) chairperson Guillaume Smith said: "I really have no comment on the subject."
Progressive Organisation Formation (POF) interim secretary Brian Isaacs said the WCED's report on the Brackenfell High racist incident must be released to the public.
"What sensitive issues are at stake? It is in the public interest to be able to see the report. What is the WCED afraid of?" he asked.
Isaacs said it was high time that the WCED come clean on racism in private and model C schools. "If WCED does not release the report we support the ANC and EFF to get the report released through the PAIA Act."
The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomed the WCED’s finding that it could find no evidence of racism at Brackenfell High School’s matric function.
"Indications are that the preliminary report, compiled by the department and following its’ investigation into the incident, has cleared the school of racism for the event and Western Cape MEC for Education, Debbie Schafer, says the report will be released soon."
Cape Argus