A South African school was Monday accused of racism for allegedly telling black girls to straighten their hair and not wear 'afro' hairstyles.
Pupils at Pretoria High School for Girls have said they were forced to chemically straighten their hair and not have afros that were deemed untidy.
Over the weekend, students donning afro hairstyles and braids held a protest at the school to voice anger against the long-standing rule.
Politicians quickly weighed in on the row, with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party accusing the school of seeking "to directly suppress blackness in its aesthetics and culture".
Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance party, tweeted: "My daughter has an Afro... Would she not be allowed at (Pretoria) girls?"
On Monday, Panyaza Lesufi, the minister of education department in Gauteng province, visited the government-run school for talks with senior staff and students.
"I really want to arrest the situation before it gets out of control," Lesufi told reporters.
An online petition against the school's alleged policy has gathered more than 10,000 signatures since it was created on Friday.
The petition, titled "Stop Racism at Pretoria Girls High", calls on authorities to ensure that the "school's code of conduct does not discriminate against black and Muslim girls".
"We are being discriminated against because of our hair, they want us to relax our hair, they want our hair to look a certain way," an anonymous student told the PowerFM radio station.
The prestigious school in the capital Pretoria was historically attended by whites only but now admits black children following the end of apartheid in 1994.
South Africa is still grappling with racial issues 22 years after the end of white-minority rule.
Black students at the school also alleged on social media that they were not allowed to speak ethnic languages to one other.
Disagreements over students' hairstyles have previously erupted in South African schools, with some parents accusing education authorities of racism.
AFP
Tue Aug 30 2016
Over the weekend, students donning afro hairstyles and braids held a protest at the school to voice anger against the long-standing rule. (Pix for illustration purpose) - AFP PHOTO
Polis tahan lelaki bakar mercun di tengah jalan raya
Polis menahan seorang pembantu bengkel yang disyaki membakar mercun di tengah jalan raya, ketika perarakan pengebumian berdekatan sebuah pasar raya di Banting, Selangor, semalam.
Sultan Selangor berkenan lancar Tabung Pembangunan Ehsan Selangor-Gaza
Sultan Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah hari ini berkenan melancarkan Tabung Pembangunan Ehsan Selangor-Gaza.
PADU: Keraguan pengguna patut menjadi satu mesej yang kerajaan kena faham - Pakar
Masalah itu tercetus akibat kurangnya komunikasi yang cermat dan akhirnya, ia membawa kepada pemahaman yang bersegmen dan kompleks.
Jumlah korban serangan di dewan konsert Rusia meningkat kepada 143
Jumaat lepas, sekumpulan lelaki bersenjata melepaskan tembakan rambang di Dewan Bandaraya Crocus, Krasnogorsk dalam Wilayah Moscow.
Kerjasama dua hala India-Malaysia bergantung kepada kepercayaan, kebolehpercayaan bersama - Menteri Luar
Memupuk kepercayaan dan kebolehpercayaan bersama sebagai asas untuk kerjasama dua hala antara India dan Malaysia adalah sangat penting, kata Menteri Luar India, Dr S. Jaishankar.
AWANI 7:45 [28/03/2024] - 75 peratus pemegang akaun keldai | Sakit mata, sakit hati | Bayar agihan pendapatan | Elak serbuan saat akhir
#AWANI745 malam ini bersama Essan Yahya;
1. Scammer! Dalam tiga bulan, lebih empat ribu ditahan
2. Hati jadi sakit, lambakan kereta terbiar depan rumah... Gempur745 siasat
3. PNB agih pendapatan RM0.67 bilion
4. Tambahan 300 kaunter PADU seluruh negara
1. Scammer! Dalam tiga bulan, lebih empat ribu ditahan
2. Hati jadi sakit, lambakan kereta terbiar depan rumah... Gempur745 siasat
3. PNB agih pendapatan RM0.67 bilion
4. Tambahan 300 kaunter PADU seluruh negara
AWANI Ringkas: Rusuhan di bazar Ramadan
AWANI Ringkas
PM Anwar beri bayangan tiada 'cuti tambahan' sempena sambutan Aidilfitri
Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim beri bayangan tiada cuti tambahan diberikan menjelang sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri yang dijadual pada 10 April depan.
UAE lancar kempen derma lebihan makanan sepanjang Ramadan
Emiriah Arab Bersatu (UAE) menerusi UAE Food Bank melancarkan kempen menderma lebihan makanan sepanjang ramadan kepada mereka yang memerlukan.
Pelapor Khas PBB terima ugutan
Pelapor Khas Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB), Francesca Alabanese mendedahkan menerima ugutan ketika cuba mengumpulkan bukti genosid dilakukan Israel di genting Gaza.