Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has lost a titanic struggle to admit 55 English-speaking pupils to an Afrikaans-medium high school after a furious conflict with the governing body of Hoërskool Overvaal. The Constitutional Court dismissed the MEC’s appeal on July 25. This is a victory for constitutionalism of sound common sense. One hopes that he will in future use consultation, partnership and negotiation, as opposed to confrontation, when dealing with sensitive educational matters involving language, race and religion. Such an approach is in accordance with the African philosophy of ubuntu, which involves a "shift from confrontation to conciliation" as explained by retired Constitutional Court judge Yvonne Mokgoro in the famous Makwanyane judgment. Lesufi owes the Hoërskool Overvaal and its leadership an apology for his unsubstantiated accusation of racism. George Devenish Via e-mail
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