Philippi High School students march from Cape Town train station to the Western Cape Provincial legislature in a protest over conditions at their school. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
24 March 2017
About 60 students from Philippi High School marched from Cape Town train station through the city centre to the Western Cape provincial legislature in a protest over conditions at their school.
Makhosandile Ndzuzo, representing the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), received the students’ memorandum. However, students wanted to hand deliver their list of grievances to a Member of the Executive Council (MEC).
Ndzuzo requested that students go back to their school and someone from the WCED would meet them at 2pm. The students refused to move.
With the police mediating, an agreement was made that Ndzuzo would attempt to get an MEC to greet them outside the legislature at 2pm. He made it clear that this could not be guaranteed. A list of grievances was then handed over to Ndzozo, which he signed.
The students waited for over an hour, and then after 2pm, they left, clearly disappointed.
“We’re going home now, because there’s no way forward,” said Thando Mafala, a grade 12 student at Philippi High.
Mafala said the school had many problems. Students want a new school principal. They also want to be involved in the building process of a new school and an investigation to be launched into the theft of computers at the school.
Philippi High students have been protesting about conditions at the school since March 2015. On 6 March 2017, students marched to the Metro South Education District Office in Mitchells Plain demanding the new school promised to them.