Owen Simons, Retreat
MEC Debbie Schäfer, your department’s continued hounding of Mr Neumann, of Heathfield High, for simply carrying out his mandate to protect the staff and pupils of Heathfield High (“Principal’s future pending,” October 7) is redolent of DA racism.
Mr Neumann should be applauded for saving lives and protecting the health of so many people. Ultimately, this helps the province and South Africa.
Instead, the very same DA department of education – with you in charge, MEC – treated Guy Pearson (white) of Bishops as a hero during the alleged sexual abuse of male pupils by Fiona Viotti.
Mr Pearson, as principal, carried ultimate responsibility.
MEC, instead of suspending Mr Pearson, your DA cabal in the department sat side by side with Mr Pearson. White will remain right in DA eyes, that is very clear.
MEC, your department should have worked quietly with Mr Neumann.
Your department did the same with Brian Isaacs, dedicated former principal of South Peninsula on spurious charges for years.
DA baasskap clearly rules. It too will come to an end. 2021. Watch out!
* Bronagh Hammond, WCED, spokesperson, responds:
Mr Simons makes reference to the fact that the WCED “treated Guy Pearson (white) of Bishops as a hero during the alleged sexual abuse of male pupils” and that instead of “suspending Mr Pearson, your DA cabal in the department sat side by side with Mr Pearson.”
These are wild accusations with no merit whatsoever. Firstly, Bishops is an independent school. We have no authority to suspend Mr Pearson as he is not in our employ. Secondly, I am not sure how we treated him as a “hero”? We did not engage in the matter at all at the time as a department as we did not have the authority to do so.
So to make this comparison is completely disingenuous and factually incorrect.