"Sad and Disappointed": Roosevelt High Matrics and Parents Hit Back After Matric Dance Shutdown

• Learners and parents at Roosevelt High School pushed back after the principal shut down their matric dance following an alleged misconduct incident
• Parents backed their children, insisting the majority of learners had no involvement in the behaviour that triggered the fallout
• South Africans online were divided, with many supporting the principal, Cristèl Venter's, decision to take a firm stance

Learners and parents at Roosevelt High School are speaking out. They say innocent matrics are being punished for something they had no part in after the principal cancelled the matric dance following an alleged misconduct scandal.

The fallout left many families frustrated. Parents backed their children, arguing that the majority of learners behaved appropriately and should not have to bear the consequences of a few individuals' actions. The grievances were shared publicly after TimesLIVE reported on the story on 9 October 2026.

The matric dance, one of the most anticipated events in a learner's final school year, was shut down by the school's principal in response to what has been described as disastrous behaviour. While details of the alleged misconduct have not been fully disclosed, the decision to cancel the event affected all learners, regardless of their individual conduct on the night.

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The learners' response was swift. Many insisted they did nothing wrong and felt it was unfair to be held collectively responsible. The tearful mother of a learner who did not take part in any misbehaviour said she'd saved for the dress since January:

"I'm sad and disappointed. I knew she would want to go all out, and so I worked to make it happen for her. In the coloured community there is a lot of substance abuse and drinking, and so for us it is a big deal to get through matric. It's something we celebrate."

The concerns come after principal Cristèl Venter shut down the matric dance at the upmarket venue following reports of severe misconduct, including intoxication, reckless driving and an alleged firearm incident.

Mohamed Kader told Sunday Times that he believed the school had been unfair to go public with unverified claims before meeting with parents and learners to determine what had happened. He explained:

“I am the parent who is said to have barged into the venue and grabbed my child to come out and make a second grander entrance. That's not what happened."

Kader said he'd simply stayed to watch his son, who was one of the first to arrive:

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“We parents went and sat in the entrance area, and I saw the driver that brought my son had stayed behind to watch the kids arriving. So I asked him if he would mind doing a second circuit and drop my son off again. I never entered the venue, I was not disrespectful, and we had permission for my son to enter again with his friends and cousins there to see him."

SA divided on blame

Not everyone was sympathetic to the learners' position. South Africans online were sharply divided when the story gained traction on social media, with many siding firmly with the principal.

Randall Fairbairn said:

"It just shows you how one bad apple can spoil the whole apple pie. The moral of the story, toss out the bad apples before you bake the pie."

Gary Nielsen wrote:

"A few bad apples in the bag will spoil it for the rest of the apples in the bag. Good on the principal for taking a stance."

Gill Kingwill added:

"The principal did the right thing. Hopefully stringent steps will still be taken against the perpetrators. This is life."

Dawie van Wyk noted:

"At this stage it is the parents that must grow up and realise that their children, guilty or not, will learn a valuable life lesson."

Yolande Niemand advised:

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"Focus on your exams. Passing matric is much more important than a dance."

Rose Mashigo observed:

"Unfortunately, parents are sometimes part of the problem; in their eyes, their kids can do no wrong. They are angels."

Other Briefly News stories about school leadership disputes

Tense footage recorded at Cosmo City Secondary School captured school staff and guards physically obstructing a media crew attempting to film a standoff involving a learner returning from cultural initiation.

• Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane placed the principal of Pretoria High School for Girls on a three-month suspension pending an investigation into alleged racism.
• Phuti Mogale, head of the elite Roedean School SA in Johannesburg, officially tendered her resignation following intense fallout over a cancelled inter-school sports fixture.

Source: Briefly News