“He Won April Fools”: SA Laughs at Principal’s Grade 13 Prank on Worried Students

• A principal from Sunward Christian Academy in Boksburg, Gauteng, pranked his matriculants into thinking they had an extra year of study
• The man joked that he received a letter from the IEB, which stated the Department of Basic Education was set to introduce Grade 13
• The students' reactions had many social media users laughing and enjoying the principal's sense of humour

Not all principals rule their schools with an iron fist!

One man in Gauteng who took advantage of April Fools' Day had some of his matric learners in a panic when he joked that they would have to complete another year at the school after Grade 12.

Students sad about 'extra year'

Sunward Christian Academy's TikTok account uploaded a clip showing how the principal, Leon van der Westhuizen, informed learners that he had received communication from the IEB.

The fake letter supposedly read:

"The Department of Basic Education has announced its intention to introduce a Grade 13 programme in 2026."

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The news didn't sit well with the visibly stunned learners.

The principal shared with one of the pupils:

"You can finish Grade 12, but it's like leaving in Grade 11. You won't have matric. Matric is Grade 13. They're not forcing you. The only problem is that you need matric."

Having pulled the prank on 31 March, Leon asked his learners when the form regarding the extra year needed to be filled in, to which the kids responded 1 April.

The principal then revealed that his students had been 'April Fooled.'

Watch the prank in the TikTok video below:

The origins of April Fools' Day

As per History's website, while the origins remain a mystery, one of the speculations from historians is that April Fools' Day started in 1582, when France went from using the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. The former saw the new year start with the spring equinox around 1 April.

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Those who failed to realise the beginning of the year moved to 1 January celebrated in the last week of March to the start of April. They were mocked and called 'April fools.'

Grade 13 prank humours SA

The viral video, climbing its way to a million views since its publication, had thousands of social media users laughing at what the principal had told his concerned students.

An entertained @zintathu18 shared with a laugh:

"He won April Fools' Day 2025."

@beny_who added in the comments:

"Principal must decide if he wants to be a principal or Leon Schuster."

@mmangaliso_g laughed and told the online community:

"The child who asked about the fees will be a very responsible adult."

@phiwe.lovee, who enjoyed the video, said about the students:

"This is the best prank. They are so respectful and understanding."

A humoured @bonga.mbele1 stated:

"Poor kids. They could see all their plans for next year falling apart. Well done, Sir."

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@snoopphaphi noted how they would have reacted to the prank:

"I'd cry proper tears. Yoh, ngeke."

@sistshwanelo shared with the public in the comment section:

"I like seeing this video because it’s comforting to see principals doing normal principal stuff like this — having fun with children and not harming them. We appreciate you, Sir."

3 Other stories about pranks

• In another article, Briefly News reported about a woman who shocked South Africans when she confronted her nanny in a prank that felt very real.
• A prankster jokingly messed with her mom by playing a recording suggesting she had R15 million in her Capitec account. The confused mother comically demanded answers.
• A man pranked his family by hiding chicken feet in their ice cream cones. The jokester's victims, his father and sister, were completely caught off guard, leaving them gasping for air.

Source: Briefly News