About 27 students, suspended from UMthwalume high school, on suspicion that they are homosexuals, have been allowed back in school.

This was a result of a meeting between parents of suspended learners, the school governing body and the Department of Education of Ugu Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.

According to Madoda Ngcobo, a father to one of the suspended students, the education department ruled that students should be allowed back to school and residences, despite the principal, Sabelo Sikhakhane, not dwelling much on why the students were suspended.

While the Department continues its investigation on reasons of the students suspension Ngcobo says it all started when two students, a boy and a girl were caught kissing in the school’s premises.

"When they were brought in for a hearing they then pointed other students who they claimed were doing the same thing at the school’s boarding residents, implicating both girls and boys, also alleging that some girls were dating other girls."
Implicated students were then called to make statements but denied being homosexual.

"But after being victimized and forced, two students even being slapped, they then admitted that they were lesbians, which I believe is not true because all the students denied it."

Ngcobo added that after the students were suspended, a meeting was held with officials from the education department in Ugu Municipality who then reversed the suspension from classes but could not reverse the suspension from residences.
"No one has the right to expel any student without following protocol or close the school without permission from the relevant district office and as the Department of Education, we strongly condemn the action", Mbali Thusi, spokesperson for the KZN Department of Education said.

Thusi emphasized that the department cannot allow discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and that everyone has the right to education regardless of sexual orientation.

She added, "Our officers have been to the school since Monday to follow up on the matter."

Mfundisi Sibiya, Education District Manager at Ugu Municipality said, "We are currently busy with the investigations about the allegations and we cannot comment further until the investigation is done."

Speaking for the National department of basic Education, Hope Mokgatlhe said "we do not tolerate discrimination be it on the grounds of race, gender, sexual orientation etc."

"Children cannot be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation, should this be true, the Department of Basic Education will not tolerate it. But it is a different matter altogether if the children were found kissing or fornicating, which is misconduct and the school has the right to discipline the children on reasonable grounds."