Publications
Partners
- The Gauteng Department of Education issued Crowthorne Christian Academy with a notice of closure on Friday.
- Spokesperson Steve Mabona said officials were denied entry at the school on Thursday.
- He added this showed the school was not open to its intended stance of resolving the dreadlocks drama progressively.
The Gauteng Department of Education has issued Crowthorne Christian Academy a notice of closure after the school denied its officials entry on Thursday.
Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department would place the pupils at alternative schools because the academy was not "an institution that can effectively educate children".
He added the department urged parents to contact it for placement assistance.
Mabona said the department was "dumbfounded" after the Midrand school denied entry to its officials and law enforcement agencies.
He added the school's gates were closed, and there was no response to several attempts to reach it.
Mabona said this showed the school was not receptive to its initial intended stance of support and development, which would have included assisting it with following proper registration channels.
He added:
On Monday, the department said the school was closed indefinitely before issuing the notice of closure.
The school came under fire after the principal's husband, Andries Hendrik Booysen, was caught on video pushing a pupil and her mother earlier this week after the school allegedly accused her of breaching the school policy because she had dreadlocks.
The woman said she went to the school to explain her daughter did not have extensions and it was dreadlocks, which were her natural hair.
An argument ensued between her and Booysen, who then pushed them.
Booysen was arrested and charged with assault. He is out on bail on the condition that he must not contact the witnesses directly or indirectly. He is expected to appear in court again on 2 October.
