The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has appointed Kathy Fredericks as the acting principal of Grosvenor Girls High School following the suspension of its principal.
Fredericks, who has assumed her duties at the Bluff school, is the deputy principal of Durban Girls’ High.
The previous acting principal of Grosvenor Girls’ High School was suspended by the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal after it implemented the recommendations made by an independent panel that uncovered racism and financial mismanagement at the school.
The probe was launched after a series of protests erupted outside the school against alleged racism at the institution in February this year.
In March, the Department of Education appointed an independent panel to investigate the allegations.
The investigation had found that racism at Grosvenor Girls’ High School was systematic, structural and that white authority dominated all facets of the school.
The panel received historical accounts of disruptions within the school during the period 2017 to 2022. These accounts included allegations of racial prejudice, discrimination, dehumanisation, and financial irregularities.
It also found that racism was normalised and that it was “second nature” at the school and that black people who are learners and employees at the school “suffer in an atmosphere of being suppressed, oppressed and of being voiceless”.
The department said that since the appointment of Fredericks, the principal of Durban Girls’ High School has also been requested to assist with implementing financial systems for two months.
“The contracts of the SGB employees who were found guilty of fraudulently being employed, are being reviewed,” the department stated further.
The South African Council of Educators has also agreed to assist with social cohesion programmes, that will assist in restoring order and peace within the school.
“Other recommendations are a work in progress,” the department added.