Ndebele body calls for readmission of school pupil ‘excluded after initiation’

The Ndebele Nation organisation has called for the immediate reinstatement of a 16-year-old pupil who was allegedly refused readmission to Cosmo Secondary School, in the north of Johannesburg, after returning from Ndebele initiation.

The pupil returned from his initiation ceremony earlier this month. His parents said they had followed the required processes and formally applied for permission for their son to be absent from school during the initiation period.

However, according to the Ndebele Nation, the school principal has now refused to allow the teenager to return to class. The school is understood to have cited its attendance policy, which states that pupils cannot be absent for an extended period.

However, the pupil’s family and cultural leaders said the initiation process was a protected cultural practice and that the correct procedures were followed before he was allowed to attend.

The matter has also raised concerns about the treatment of journalists covering the story.

According to the Ndebele Nation, SABC reporters who were covering the matter alleged that the school principal intimidated them and threatened them with violence.

The Ndebele Nation, in consultation with Contralesa and the Gauteng House of Traditional Leaders, is now calling for the pupil to be allowed back at school.

“We are going to fight this intimidation head on,” said the organisation. “No child should be denied their right to education because they exercised their cultural rights. We followed the process. The school must follow the law and the constitution.”

The organisation is also seeking an urgent meeting with Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi to discuss the pupil’s exclusion and find a way resolve the matter.

It wants steps to be taken to prevent other pupils from being discriminated against when taking part in cultural practices.

The Ndebele Nation said it was still awaiting official responses from the Gauteng department of education, Contralesa and the Gauteng House of Traditional Leaders.

The organisation said it was committed to protecting Ndebele cultural heritage, as well as their right to education and to practise their culture and traditions in line with the constitution.