A recent surge in xenophobic nationalism in South Africa has led to increased trauma and bullying for immigrant pupils at schools, particularly in Cape Town. In June, several schools in the city requested that immigrant parents provide valid immigration or study permit documents for their children. Excelsior High School in Belville sent a letter to parents, asking them to provide an official study permit or proof of application for a study permit, citing the risk of audit by the Department of Home Affairs.
The request for documentation was not limited to Excelsior High School, as Buren High School in Brooklyn also sent out a WhatsApp message requesting foreign learners to submit updated copies of their valid immigration documentation. According to Shamini Govender, deputy principal of Buren High School, the communication was issued because a valid document is a requirement, especially during matric exams. Govender emphasized that the process was not punitive and that the school assists pupils without documents by working with relevant authorities.
However, according to Zeenat Sujee, head of the Education Rights Programme at SECTION27, communications from schools of this nature do not necessarily comply with the South African Schools Act. The Act states that a child must be allowed to attend school even if they don’t have documents and that schools must not unfairly discriminate against learners. Sujee also clarified that the belief that matrics cannot write exams without identity documentation is not true, citing a 2019 judgment that made it clear that a lack of identity documentation should not be a barrier to basic education.
Despite the clarification, immigrant pupils have reported episodes of bullying and trauma. At Addington Primary School in Durban, immigrant parents demonstrated outside the school in January, demanding places for their children. Supporters of the anti-immigration movement staged a three-day protest outside the school, which left several pupils and parents in need of counselling. Consolee Kanamugire of Refugee Social Services stated that the protest was the first time immigrant children had seen hate from outsiders, and it has left several of them severely traumatized.
Immigrant pupils at Addington told Viewfinder that they were taunted in July after the passing of the deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country. Similar incidents were reported at a faith-based education centre in Nyanga, Cape Town, where two immigrant pupils reported episodes of bullying in June. The pupils were told they needed to leave the school by the deadline, and some students used this information to be nasty to them.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) responded to the issue, stating that it was not aware of any Home Affairs audit but that a request for identity documents was a common practice for the administration of the National Senior Certificate. The WCED specified that if a candidate does not have a South African identity document, they should provide a birth certificate, and those without these documents should contact the WCED’s Examination Directorate or the nearest district office.
The incidents highlight the challenges faced by immigrant pupils in South African schools, particularly in the context of rising xenophobic nationalism. According to Sujee, SECTION27 has received no cases of Grade 12 pupils being barred from writing exams in 2026, but the issue remains a concern. The WCED and schools must ensure that immigrant pupils are not unfairly discriminated against and that they have access to education, regardless of their documentation status.
Key points
- Immigrant pupils in South African schools face increased trauma and bullying amid a surge in xenophobic nationalism.
- Some schools have requested immigration documentation from immigrant parents, citing the risk of audit by the Department of Home Affairs.
- The South African Schools Act prohibits unfair discrimination against learners, and immigrant pupils have the right to access education regardless of their documentation status.
