Gregory Mthembu-Salter, Scarborough
Yolande du Preez is a talented journalist with many excellent stories under her belt, but her latest, on the fall-out from a cancelled diversity training programme at Fish Hoek High (“Furore after diversity training at Fish Hoek High School,” Echo November 10) was disappointing.
I watched an interview with Asanda Ngoasheng on TV where she said black children at the school reported often being called monkeys, with some white children telling them that if they touched, they could catch monkey pox.
Black students were so enraged that they protested outside the school. So even if the accused teacher did not use the k-word, it is clear that there are racism issues that need addressing at the school.
So it’s a great shame that Ms Du Preez, having done such a thorough job of finding comment from those opposed to the training, was unable to find any student or parent who had been on the receiving end of this treatment and may well have a very different view of the training and its sudden, highly politicised cancellation.
I get that Ms Ngoasheng declined to be interviewed but nonetheless, the story as it stands is, I’m afraid to say, slanted and unfair. I see a need for a follow-up article that covers the viewpoints that are missing here.