Recently, a picture of three pupils at Martizburg College was posted online. It showed the three, all in school uniforms, standing side by side, with two carrying T-shirts that read "EFF our last hope of getting our land back" and "Loading 2019 … EFF" respectively. The picture and subsequent news that the school had decided to take disciplinary action against them for a breach of Section 33A(1) of the South African Schools Act and the School’s Code of Conduct, which prohibits political activity on school campuses, led to a massive reaction on Twitter, driven in large part by the critical responses of key commentators and political parties such as the EFF and the DA.The primary argument made, to quote the EFF statement on the issue, was that the school was violating the constitutional right to freedom of expression. EFF national spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said: "We reject this as pure apartheid, Nazi and colonial thinking on the part of the school" and "Maritzburg High, by chargin...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.