News24 reports that the Labour Court has given the Gauteng Department of Education 30 days to finalise a grievance lodged against it by Pretoria High School for Girls principal Phillipa Erasmus.

The grievance relates to allegations of intimidation and abuse by a departmental official who visited the school following reports of racist behaviour from 12 pupils. According to a draft order handed down on Tuesday, the head of department, Albert Chanee, was ordered “to implement and take all the necessary steps to appoint an official of the department to consider, determine and finalise the grievance”. The court also ordered the department to pay the legal costs of the Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie (Saou), which represented Erasmus.

Saou’s Dems Nel reported that Erasmus lodged a formal grievance on 4 October 2024 following an official’s conduct after the racism reports surfaced in August 2024. He alleged that the official who arrived at the scene allowed the pupils to hurl abuse at Erasmus and other teachers “without stepping in to support or protect them”. According to Nel, the official “acted in an inappropriate and abusive manner towards Erasmus and her educators and compelled them to comply with inappropriate and unreasonable instructions under threat of disciplinary action.”

Erasmus made headlines when the department suspended her from duty for three months without pay in July after finding her guilty of two misconduct charges. She was found not guilty of failing to implement the school’s code of conduct

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Prega Govender at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)

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