Lesufi approves Hoërskool Hendrik Verwoerd name change

Hoërskool Hendrik Verwoerd in Pretoria finally gets its name changed following a formal approval by Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi.

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According to Lesufi’s Twitter announcement, Hoërskool Hendrik Verwoerd will now be known as Rietondale Secondary School.

“My mission in this world is to reverse everything this man called Verwoerd has done to our education system,”

“Others names like Jan Smuts will also fall,” read the caption.

This comes after parents proposed three names last year after Lesufi issued a directive back in 2016 for the removal of symbols that demonstrate oppression or racial supremacy.

“Everybody is very excited. It has been a long time coming. It is very important for the school and community to do it in the right manner according to what the Department of Education wants but I do think it is going to be a positive change,” said the school’s governing body (SGB) chairperson, Olga Veldsman at the time.

“It’s time for change, it’s a long time coming and I think it will be like a breath of fresh air. Everybody was very positive about the process and the name change.”

Following the issuing of the directive, department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, explained that the department was in no position to have a say in the name-change.

“As the department we will peruse the documentation and assist to decide on a name that the school, according to the processes they have decided upon – then we will be in a position to say ‘here’s the name’.”

Hendrik Verwoerd dubbed “Architect of Apartheid”, served as a South African prime minister from 1958 until his assassination in 1996.

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