Race debate: Political bluster vs. public reality at Curro school

The Gauteng government’s swift reversal on allegations of racism at a Curro school highlights a broader trend: the disconnect between politicians’ race-focused narratives and the reality experienced by ordinary South Africans. The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) emphasizes that while racism is a serious concern, inflating such incidents without evidence damages trust and distracts from critical issues like education and economic growth. South Africans overwhelmingly prioritize competence over race in education, signalling a deep-rooted non-racialism that challenges divisive political agendas. This incident serves as a call for politicians to prioritize substantive solutions over divisive rhetoric, focusing on national recovery for a better, more equitable future.

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Issued by the Insitute of Race Relations (IRR)

Days after rushing to condemn a Curro school for supposedly conveying “a racially unbalanced narrative concerning the potential future careers of learners” in a social media post, the Gauteng Department of Education was forced to make a U-turn and withdraw the allegation of racism when its own investigation found nil basis for it.

This embarrassing about-face serves as a welcome affirmation that stirring racial antagonism is out of step with the views of ordinary South Africans – as shown repeatedly in extensive opinion polling by the IRR over more than a decade.

In this case, however, before establishing the facts and without any credible proof of racism or racial discrimination at Curro, the Gauteng Department of Education was content to trigger a controversy in the media by assuming that racism was at play.

The department said in a statement that it “does not take such racial incidents lightly as they may be cultivating attitudes which reflect a society that has not fully dealt with racism”.

The department even went as far as saying that there was “an urgent need to investigate the constitutionality of Curro’s value system”.

Within days, its own investigation found that were was no racist stereotyping at the school.

Says Hermann Pretorius, IRR head of strategic communications: “The view taken by the Gauteng government is clearly that the people of Gauteng are racists. The fact that, in the absence of any evidence of racism, photographs from a school outing can have been misused so aggressively by a governmental department rushing in where the prudent would fear to tread, shows how far out of touch the elite political class in South Africa has become – demanding racism where the supply is actually low.

“The embarrassing back-pedalling that came after the bluster underlines how the Gauteng government tripped itself up by chucking the basic idea of the presumption of innocence out of the window.

“As IRR polls have shown for many years now, South Africans are not the race-obsessed victims many in politics would want them to be. Looking at data the IRR published in November last year, it is clear that a majority of South Africans believe race relations have improved since 1994. A majority of South Africans have not personally experienced racism in the last five years. As an issue that government should prioritise, racism has consistently ranked at or towards the bottom of an extensive list of issues – with unemployment consistently topping the rankings.”

Pretorius adds: “On the issue of education, a particularly telling question is whether South Africans want their children to be taught by a teacher of their own race, or whether race is irrelevant as long as the teacher is good. 89% of all people indicated the latter – further underscoring the inherent non-racialism of ordinary South Africans.

“What should strike some fear into the minds of our country’s politicians is that South Africans are not buying the racism many political interests are selling. When asked whether ‘talk of racism and colonialism is by politicians who are trying to find excuses for their own failures’, 67% of South Africans agreed.”

“Fundamentally, South Africa is not a racist country, despite the best efforts of many political interests. The egg on the face of the Gauteng Department of Education is a timely wake-up call for all politicians on the campaign trail: stop all petty and racist political shenanigans and focus on offering South Africans a plan to make things like education part of a pro-growth national recovery – the surest route to the dignity of upwards social mobility and a better life.”