South African school girl’s afro sparks racism debate

The image of a black South African girl with an afro facing off with a white school administrator in Pretoria has reignited a complex conversation about race in the country.

Zulaika, and hundreds of students like her, are standing up against school policies they say are racist and discriminatory. The Pretoria High School for Girls does not specifically ban afros, but requires that “hair must be brushed”, styles be “conservative”, and that cornrows, natural dreadlocks and braids must be “a maximum of 10 mm in diameter”.  

The school suspended the rules after the girl’s protest picture went viral, but Black and Muslim students around the country allege their educators are discriminating against them, too. They say they are prohibited from speaking in their mother tongue and not guaranteed safe spaces. Boys, girls and their families have suggested even though apartheid ended 22 years ago, institutionalised racism is alive and well in their centres of learning. An official investigation in several schools is underway.

There has been pushback to these allegations, though. The minister for Basic Education has called the rules “standard codes of conduct”, not rooted in racism. There are also several hashtags and social media campaigns started by other students, parents and administrators in support of the schools and their regulations.

On the next Stream, we delve into the debate taking place on school grounds and online. Join in with your thoughts at 19:30 GMT.

On today’s episode, we speak to: 

Mishka Wazar 
Daily Vox journalist

Virginia Keppler @VKeppler
Pretoria bureau chief, The Citizen newspaper

Melissa Elona Kuhn
Mother of Pretoria High School for Girls students

Teresa Oakley-Smith @diversiterri
Founder, Diversi-T
diversi-t.co.za

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.