'Teen brothers harassed at school'

"The racial slurs were hurled in front of a teacher and the teacher acted as if nothing happened"

Two brothers are constantly suffering harassment and racial slurs from fellow pupils at boarding school Potchefstroom Gimnasium in the North West, The Star reported on Monday.

The twins, Kago and Kagiso Mangope, 14, are Grade Eight pupils at the school and are also the only two black boys who live in the Grade Eight hostel.

Their brother Lebo told the newspaper that the boys were constantly called "kaffir" and two previous incidents resulted in Kago quitting the rugby team.

Schoolboys would call him names as he would constantly report who would be racist towards him.

"The racial slurs were hurled in front of a teacher and the teacher acted as if nothing happened," he told the publication.

The stress of the insults had resulted in their marks dropping.

Lebo contacted the school and was told that the complaint would be attended to as it was a serious and sensitive matter.

A hearing has been scheduled for Monday, the newspaper reported.

Education department spokesman Brian Setswammung told the newspaper that the department would wait for the outcome of the hearing to determine the outcome.

"The department does not condone racial attack and violence at schools. If a pattern of racism emerges, the department will ensure that urgent steps are taken to address the matter," he said.