Bergview College Approaches High Court and Applies To Have Deregistration Set Aside

• Eastern Cape-based Bergview College has approached the Eastern Cape High Court in a bid to overturn the Department of Education's deregistration notice
• The Eastern Cape Department of Education sent the school a notice informing it that it has been deregistered following the rape of a seven year-old girl allegedly on the school's premises
• The school's board of trustees chairperson said the Department had no legal grounds to shut the institution down, and the Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities slammed AfriForum

With nine years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, a current affairs writer for Briefly News, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.

EASTERN CAPE — Bergview College has filed an application at the Eastern Cape High Court for the Department of Eduction's deregistration notice to be set aside. This was after the department deregistered the school following the rape of a seven-year-old allegedly on its premises.

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What did the school say?

According to The Citizen, the school's board of trustees chairperson, DC Van Zyl, slammed the department for the deregistration notice. He said that the department had no legal leg to stand on when it deregistered the school. The school wants the matter to be heard before the second term of schooling commences in April.

The school also denied that the principal was a suspect in the case. This was despite Police Minister Senzo Mchunu announcing on 30 March 2025 that the principal was among three suspects implicated in the case. The school insisted that a non-educator staff member is a suspect, and the staff member has been placed on leave.

Deputy minister slams AfriForum

The Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons With Disabilities Steve Letsike slammed lobby group AfriForum for representing the principal in the rape case. Speaking to Newzroom Afika, she said that the principal must subject himself to the process.

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This was after the principal resisted giving a DNA sample to the police. She also said that AfriForum protecting the principal is an example of white privilege.

"A suspect must be treated as a suspect despite their race, and the principals nor somebody that must be ignored if there are allegations against him," she said.

Letsike said the South African Police Service must act swiftly and arrest the suspects and take their DNA samples.

What you need to know about the Bergview College incident

• South Africans criticised AfriForum for representing the principal in the Bergview College incident, who insisted that he did not have to give his DNA sample
• An American woman living in South Africa was brokenhearted when she learned about the incident and called for justice
• A millionaire donated a substantial amount of money to the victim's education after the story broke

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Not in my Name calls for justice for Bergview College rape victim, SA agrees

South Africans protest for Bergview College victim

In a related article, Briefly News reported that South Africans embarked on protests to demand the justice of the Bergview College rape incident. Residents from Braamfontein in Gauteng marched on the streets.

The majority of the protesters were women. They demanded that the police be swift in delivering justice and arresting a suspect involved in the case.

Source: Briefly News