Parents of learners at Hoërskool Jan Viljoen clashed once again as they waited for Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi to address them as promised on Thursday.

According to a statement issued by acting Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Oupa Bodibe, the meeting at the school’s sports field was scheduled to start at 17:30 but was delayed.

“The purpose of the meeting is for the MEC to report back and listen to the parents’ concerns,” Bodibe said.

As they waited, white parents complained that they were not represented fairly at the meeting, whereas black parents had an overwhelming majority of representatives.

When Lesufi eventually arrived, he attributed being late to a rainstorm.

My sincere apologies for being here late. We were delayed by the storm as we were coming here; we really looked forward to hearing what parents have to say,” he said.

After announcing that the meeting would be postponed to Sunday February 20, Lesufi also confirmed that a staff member employed by the SGB had been suspended following allegations of sex-related misconduct.

“We’ve made contact with the South African Human Rights Commission and I’m happy that they’ve already started with their work. As indicated in our last meeting, I spoke to the school governing body and they’ve agreed to suspend the staff member who was implicated by learners in terms of sexual harassment.”