Investigation into child sitting alone at preschool
The Gauteng Department of Education requested a formal investigation into a preschool in Centurion.
This comes after a photo showing a black child sitting alone during a birthday party at Koeitjies en Kalfies preschool went viral.
The MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, visited the preschool on Thursday afternoon where he described it as problematic.
He took to Twitter, saying all the children at the school were white and taught by white teachers, while black people were merely maids, but the preschool's principle, Anell Engelbrecht, said it was one big misunderstanding.
"As she wanted to take the photo, this other little girl opposite Neshani started crying, so she asked the assistant to take the child, because she didn't want to take a photo of the one little girl crying. Without thinking and without realising, because there were no bad intentions or anything, this photo was sent out. It looks terrible, but once you've seen the school and once you've heard the explanation it makes perfect sense," Engelbrecht said.
The preschool's medium of instruction is Afrikaans and has 60 children.
"Neshani is one of two black children at the school. I would love to teach in English, but my lease agreement won't allow me to. I took Neshani as a favour to her mother. She knew that we taught in Afrikaans and that's why the majority of our learners are white," Engelbrecht said.
The mother of the child has since removed her child from the preschool.
Speaking to JacarandaFM News, Thobo Mosiniyi said she didn't accept the excuses given by Engelbrecht.
"The picture spelt pure and utter discrimination, not only from a racial perspective but from a point where you are ostracizing a child. The look on my child's face...she is confused as to why she is not sitting with the other children," Mosinyi said.