Outrage as South African School Forbids Black Female Students from Wearing Afro

The decision of a South African school to ‘compel’ black students to straighten their hair has been met with outrage from all quarters.

Pretoria High School for girls has been accused of racism for its decision not to allow black female students the same kind of hair freedom their white counterparts are allowed.

The rule which has been longstanding was protested over the weekend by students of the institution who had had enough of the discriminating prescriptions by the school detailing what their hair should look like, and implying that their hair is deemed untidy by the school’s standard, in its natural state.

One of the students at Pretoria High called into the Breakfast Show on Power FM, confirming that this is indeed the case and punishments have been meted out to students who have failed to comply in the past.

“We are being discriminated against because of our hair; they want us to relax our hair, they want our hair to look a certain way,” she said.

Over the weekend, students donning afro hairstyles and braids held a protest at the school to voice anger against the long-standing rule.

The Minister of Education in Gauteng province, Panyaza Lesufi, visited the school on Monday for a sit-down with students and staff, according to this report and expressed his desire to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

“I really want to arrest the situation before it gets out of control”, he said.

Many other notable figures have weighed in on the issue.

The Economic Freedom Fighters party accused the school of seeking “to directly suppress blackness in its aesthetics and culture,” while Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance party, tweeted: “My daughter has an Afro… Would she not be allowed at (Pretoria) Girls?”

Read an excerpt of the school’s code of conduct detailing what the black female student’s hair should be:

An excerpt from the school’s handbook:

Social media reactions have also trailed the news and an online petition against the school’s policy-“Stop Racism at Pretoria Girls High”, has gathered more than 10,000 signatures since it was created on Friday.

Pretoria High School for girls was historically attended by whites only, but now admits black children following the end of apartheid in 1994.

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