The Speaker of Council, Cllr Colleen Makhubele, was warmly welcomed by the family of Tylin Nxumalo, a 13-year-old girl who was recently “expelled” by Crowthorne Christian Academy. A video trended on social media in which the young girl was dragged by her dreadlocks out of school in Midrand where she has been attending for five years. She was expelled from school for not cutting her hair.
The incident comes a few days before Cllr Makhubele launches the City of Johannesburg’s Civic Education Programme where issues like racism, classism and homophobia will be tackled.
This is in line with the theme of building a world-class African citizenry.
“We are pleased to know that the family has substantial support in a phase such as this one. We commend Tylin’s mother for her bravery and have also come to a deeper understanding as to what transpired in this school on the day of the ordeal.
“It is through these instances that we have also uncovered that this is not the first case that the school has had this altercation with black children. It is the third one to date,” Cllr Makhubele said.
Cllr Makhubele said she had been informed that three other pupils had banned from school for at least three months for not having conformed to the “white” standards that the owners of Crowthorne would wish for them to look like.
“Whether they identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as in hair and skin color should also not be reason enough for not tolerating one another. We condemn this in the strongest manner. Racial discrimination is not allowed as it only shows that we are not making progress as a world-class African City,
“We commit to follow up with the Department of Education to seriously look into the policies regarding this state of affairs,” said Cllr Makhubele in conclusion.
Written by Thembelihle Radebe
22/08/2023