Language or Learning? EFF Protest at HTS Middelburg Reignites Feud Over English Classes

Tensions over language and access flared outside HTS Middelburg today as a protest led by the EFF and local parents demanded answers. The core allegation: that the school is deliberately failing to provide Grade 8 English classes, effectively sidelining English-speaking learnerswho protesters claim are predominantly blackin favour of the Afrikaans stream.

The protest, spearheaded by MMC for Public Safety Clr Zandile Joseph Ngubeni, marks a resurgence of a dispute that allegedly began last year. According to Ngubeni, a previous protest resulted in an agreement for the school to introduce an additional English class. He asserts this promise was broken, with English learners instead placed into Afrikaans classes, creating a space crunch for new English applicants this year.

A Clash of Narratives at the Gate

The confrontation hit an immediate procedural snag. Protesters arrived to hand over a memorandum of demands but were told the principal was in a meeting. They refused to give it to a School Governing Body (SGB) member, insisting it be received by the principal or deputya standoff that underscored the deep distrust.

The memorandum makes several pointed claims. It alleges that approximately 90 Grade 8 English learners commute daily from eMalahleni, a claim directly contested by the school. It also disputes the school’s potential overcrowding defence, stating enrolment statistics have been static for a decade.

The School’s Response: Denial and Dispute

When contacted by The Middelburg Observer, SGB member Pierre Jooste presented a starkly different version of events. He stated the school had not received any memorandum and was “still dealing with the matter.”

More critically, Jooste denied the existence of any prior agreement. “The school was not aware of any agreement from last year to introduce an additional Grade Eight English class,” he said. He also countered the claim about learners from eMalahleni, stating that accepted learners came from local feeder schools, Aerorand Primary and Middelburg Primary.

Underlying Tensions and a Legal Threat

The EFF’s protest taps into long-standing national tensions about language, resource allocation, and transformation in former Model C schools. The party has warned that failure to address the issue could lead to legal action, framing the situation as a deliberate exclusion of black learners.

For now, the school gate remains a symbolic frontier. On one side, protesters see a breached agreement and systemic exclusion. On the other, school officials see unfounded allegations and a disruption to the start of the academic year. With both sides entrenched in contradictory narratives, the path forward for the Grade 8 learners at the centre of the storm remains as unclear as the dusty air outside the school gates.