The African National Congress (ANC) has stepped in and condemned the actions of a prestigious Cape Town boarding school after its chairman had resigned.
The ANC’s Khalid Sayed MPL said racism remains deeply rooted in the Western Cape.
This comes as Crispin Sonn, chairperson of the Council of the Bishops Diocesan College, resigned with immediate effect.
His resignation was announced by the school on Thursday, November 14.
“Sonn, a champion of transformation, was forced to resign after expressing his views on the genocide in Palestine. His silencing highlights the hypocrisy of a school community that claims to promote moral courage but punishes free speech. Racism in our schools, from Bishops to Pinelands, reflects the systemic failures of this DA-led provincial government. This cannot continue,” Sayed said.
He said to truly build an inclusive province, the ANC calls on the DA to support justice abroad by aligning with South Africa’s stance at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“Transform education by making our schools safe spaces that celebrate the diversity and moral courage. Challenge corporate complicity, holding entities like Discovery accountable when their actions, and inviting the Israeli government to a meeting contradict our values. The Western Cape must lead by example, embracing diversity in action, not just in words,” Sayed said.
Sonn’s resignation comes a month after he was forced to issue an apology for writing a pro-Palestine post on his Facebook page.
The post, which has since been deleted, left a bitter taste in the mouths of Bishop's council, which led Sonn to apologise for his actions.
“We want to convey that the posting of the views on social media was a deeply inappropriate act which was unacceptable to many members of the Bishops Community and contrary to the values which we believe to be fundamental to Bishops,” said Members of the Old Diocessan Union after the post.
In his apology, Sonn said after reading many of the comments in response to the post, he realised that the message he had intended to share, had been misunderstood by some people, hence he immediately withdrew and deleted the post.
The school mentioned that Dr Chris Haw, an existing member of the council, will be acting as the new chairperson.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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