On February 11, a group of LGBTQI+ activists and community members protested outside the Wordsworth High School, alleging ill-treatment of girl learners belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.

The protest followed an incident on February 6 in which the principal allegedly humiliated about eight girls. It was claimed that she confronted the learners and forced them to change out of their school pants and wear tunics “like girls”.

Donwell Mpofu, an LGBTQIA+ activist from Daveyton, said these learners contacted him for assistance.

“They told us they didn’t know how to handle the matter and felt humiliated. I mobilised a team on February 9 and went to the school. We arrived at 07:00, but were told to go home because we didn’t have an appointment.

“We refused to leave, and they eventually allowed us into the school at 09:00. Nobody addressed us until noon. Eventually, someone from the Department of Education (GDE) came and apologised,” Mpofu said.

He said they had demanded that the principal publicly apologise and take accountability for her actions.

“We wanted her to address the school so that no learner ever does what she did. The children were humiliated in public,” he said.

Mpofu said they asked a social worker to counsel the learners, citing their trauma. The representative agreed and proposed that counselling would take place on February 10.

However, Mpofu alleged that the learners later informed them that the counsellors had advised them to change their statements.

“We felt the matter was being swept under the carpet, so we called the media to make it public,” he said.

On February 11, the group returned to the school to protest. Mpofu claimed the school called the police, but officials from the GDE, including spokesperson Steve Mabona, later arrived and met with them in the school hall.

“They heard our grievances and promised to assign new social workers to take over. They also undertook to provide feedback in the coming weeks,” Mpofu said.

He praised Mabona and his team for their patience, adding that the matter might not have escalated had the school constructively engaged from the beginning.

Mpofu said the group had offered to hold an awareness session on inclusivity at the school.

“If we don’t hear from the department in the next few weeks, we will return to the school,” he said.

GDE responds
Mabona confirmed the department’s intervention after receiving complaints from the LGBTQI+ community.

“We have started an internal enquiry into the allegations of humiliation against the principal. They mentioned eight learners, but we are currently aware of four. We have asked them to help us identify the remaining learners,” Mabona said.

He said the GDE’s intention is to provide support and counselling to any learners who feel humiliated to ensure they are comfortable and feel safe at school.
Addressing concerns about the school’s code of conduct, Mabona said the document is determined by parents through the school governing body (SGB).

“If the code of conduct stipulates summer and winter uniforms and specifies what boys and girls wear, the school is expected to enforce it because it is a parents’ document. If concessions are to be included, parents can propose them through the proper channels,” he said.

Mabona added that the GDE provides guiding documents to schools regarding codes of conduct and that a broader policy on issues, such as ablution facilities, is still being developed at a national level.

“In the interim, we do not justify any form of segregation, humiliation or making learners feel unwelcome. A school must be a safe space for every child,” he said.
He emphasised that the GDE does not encourage the disruption of schooling.
“We have agreed that the investigation will be concluded within three weeks, after which we will communicate the way forward. The group also suggested hosting workshops on

inclusivity, and we have welcomed that proposal and will work closely with the SGB,” Mabona said.

The Benoni City Times contacted the school for a comment from the principal on February 12, but was told she was not at work.

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