VIDEOS: Protesters refuse to back down as violence continues at Hoërskool Overvaal
By Nica Richards
A member of the EFF stands outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 17 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia
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Protesters once again gathered outside Hoërskool Overvaal in Vereeniging this morning.
Yesterday’s protests started out peacefully, but quickly went sour, as police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the steadily growing crowd of demonstrators.
Rival political parties African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members joined hands in protest against the exclusion of non-Afrikaans-speaking learners at the high school.
Today, protestors threw a petrol bomb at a police car, and continued to picket outside the school.
The Gauteng department of education has condemned the actions of the ANC and the EFF. The department has also said that the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has been asked facilitate talks to end the tension between the school’s parents and protesters. The SAHRC has assured parents of Overvaal students that their children are safe.
Protestors remain adamant that the rejection of 55 pupils at Hoërskool Overvaal is blatant racism, and they have vowed to continue their actions. Some even provoked police, asking them to shoot them.
The 55 pupils have been sent to an alternative school, nearby Riverside High School.
Watch how today’s protests unfolded:
Community members gather outside Protesters throw a petrol bomb at a police car outside Hoërskool Overvaal to retaliate with chants
A protestor throws a rock at a vehicle outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture. The protest turned violent, with police using stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Yeshiel Panchiamore
Police and protestors confront one another outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeniging on January 18, 2018. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia
Police officers conduct arrests after a molotov cocktail was thrown at a police vehicle outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture. The protest turned violent, with police using stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Yeshiel Panchiamore
Protesters march with a sign ripped from the walls outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeniging on January 18, 2018. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia
Police and protestors confront one another outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture: Yeshiel Panchiamore
A protestor throws a rock at a vehicle outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture. The protest turned violent, with police using stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Yeshiel Panchiamore
Protestors taunt the police with calls to shoot outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeniging on 18 January 2018. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia
A member of the School Governing Body and an ANC protester shake hands outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture. The protest turned violent, with police using stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Yeshiel Panchiamore
Police clear a barricade of rocks and burning tires outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture. The protest turned violent, with police using stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Yeshiel Panchiamore
Protestors burn a Democratic Alliance (DA) t-shirt outside gate of Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture. The protest turned violent, with police using stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Yeshiel Panchiamore
Police and protestors confront one another outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture. The protest turned violent, with police using stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Yeshiel Panchiamore
A police vehicle hit by a molotov cocktail smoulders outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture. The protest turned violent, with police using stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Yeshiel Panchiamore
Protestors demonstrate outside the gate of Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture. The protest turned violent, with police using stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Yeshiel Panchiamore
Police clear a barricade of rocks and burning tires outside Hoerskool Overvaal in Vereeneging on 18 January 2018. Members of the ANC, EFF and parents protested outside the school due to a court ruling supporting the school not include English First Language students this year as it is an Afrikaans school. Picture. The protest turned violent, with police using stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Yeshiel Panchiamore
