Overvaal ruling doesn’t change anything, says Lesufi

Lesufi wanted to appeal an earlier ruling by the North Gauteng High Court, which stated that the school did not have the capacity to enroll 55 additional English-speaking pupils.

On Wednesday, the highest court in the land dismissed the application with costs.

The court said the department failed to consider the fact that there are two English medium schools in close proximity to Hoërskool Overvaal with the capacity to enroll learners.

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“The judgment is very clear it says the timelines that we have people and the failure to recognise that there were people with open vacancies in their own schools before we brought learners here. It does not challenge non-racialism but administrative capabilities,” Lesufi told reporters at the school on Friday. 

A task team, which includes members of the South African Council of Churches, is currently in talks with the school and the department to try and find a workable solution. 

Lesufi says the judgment, however, does not change the department’s stance that Afrikaans medium schools also need to offer English as a medium of instruction. 

“Now we are going back to the drawing board with our legal team. The judgment does not change anything but reaffirms that we need to provide administrative support to schools that want to change.”