South Africa: Brackenfell High School

The violence which was reported outside of Brackenfell High School on Monday has become the biggest story in South Africa this week: Allegations of racism against the institution sparked protests from EFF members, who ended up being kicked and punched by an angry group of parents outside of the facility. Julius Malema has since responded…

JULIUS MALEMA’S REACTION TO BRACKENFELL VIOLENCE

The firebrand EFF leader has weighed-in just as the situation remains on a knife-edge. Both the WCED and SAHRC have condemned the scenes witnessed yesterday – and for those who need a recap, it’s been a manic 24 hours in Brackenfell:

• Tensions exploded when a group of parents engaged in a physical confrontation with EFF protesters.
• One parent was arrested for allegedly firing a replica gun in the air, just metres away from the high school.
• The EFF issued a statement on Monday evening, saying that they were victims of a ‘white racist terror attack’ in Brackenfell.
• The DA has fanned the flames of division, by blaming the EFF for the violence and comparing them to Nazis.
• Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a statement on Tuesday, acknowledging the Red Berets’ democratic right to protest.

WHAT JULIUS MALEMA TWEETED ABOUT BRACKENFELL

On Monday evening, Julius Malema took to his Twitter account. After sharing several videos which showed the brutality of the physical confrontations, he made a very short – and very sharp – statement to his 3.3 million followers online:

“Wait until we respond, all fools will have an opinion.”

Julius Malema

HIGH SCHOOL RACISM SET FOR INVESTIGATION

The EFF has already threatened to ‘completely shutdown’ Brackenfell in response to this latest controversy, and they have also vowed to recreate the scenes which recently took place in Senekal.

The Free State town became a hot-bed of racial tensions, after a group of locals tried to attack two suspects accused of orchestrating a farm murder. The EFF then launched a counter-protest, as thousands squared-off on the streets. The political party – and Julius Malema himself – are now asking South Africans to ‘watch this space’…