The Gauteng Department of Education also said that teachers from about 30 schools in Eldorado Park, who were participating in a stay-away, would return to their respective schools.

Residents apparently protested against the appointment of a principal at Klipspruit West Secondary School. It was reported as being a racial matter, but residents insist the issue is about alleged irregularities in the process of appointments.

The disruptions led to teachers staying away from the school after they were reportedly prevented from entering the premises. This culminated in the Grade 11s not being able to write their assessments earlier this month.

The Grade 12 learners, who write their final exams in a month have also been affected, but arrangements have been made for a learning camp to catch up on their studies until finals.

'Drastic action'

In a statement on Wednesday, Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona said Sadtu was satisfied with the intervention implemented by the department to restore functionality at Klipspruit West.

The interventions include: security personnel deployed to the school for access control, community members will not be allowed to prevent teachers from accessing the school, and the allegations of racism will be investigated by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).

Mabona said the department had also appointed an acting principal.

It was further announced that the school governing body at Klipspruit West Secondary had been dissolved.

On Tuesday, Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi warned that if the situation continued, he would have no other choice but to close the school down.

"We are happy that there is progress in our efforts to bring back normality at the said school. However I must indicate that we cannot continue to manage an unstable school forever, at some point we will have to take drastic action," said Lesufi.

Source: News24