School where pupil was barred because of her hair is illegally operating – Gauteng education

The Gauteng department of education says the school at the centre of an assault of a parent by an official over a hair policy has been operating illegally. 

This after a video of an altercation between the mother of a 13-year-old girl, who was barred from attending class at the Crowthorne Christian Academy in Midrand, surfaced on social media on Monday. 

The video showed the grade 8 learner being forcefully removed from class for allegedly wearing hair extensions which the school said were outlawed by the new hair policy. 

But the mother of the learner could be heard arguing that her dreadlocks were natural and not hair extensions. 

In the video, the mother is seen interacting with a man who appears to be chasing the child away from a classroom. The woman tells the man not to touch her child. Moments later the man can be seen aggressively pushing both learner and parent out of the classroom.

“You have no right, you have no right,” the learner can be heard yelling at the man.

Police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi has confirmed that a case of common assault has been opened.  

Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department was aware of the incident. 

“It must be noted that the said school is illegally operating and the learner was offered alternative schooling and counselling by the GDE [Gauteng department of education]. We are assisting the school to comply and encourage all unregistered institutions to engage with the department for assistance with registration processes.” 

The sister of the child, who shared the altercation on X (previously known as Twitter) said the man who assaulted the girl and her mother is the principal’s husband. 

“Mrs Tanya Booysen [the principal] said ‘I will not allow her back into this school unless her hair is shaved off’... The conduct says nothing about dreadlocks.” 

sibiyan@sowetan.co.za