The Department of Education is in trouble with the law after its teachers ignored a Chapter Nine institution order to stop discriminating against pupils belonging to the Nazareth Baptist (Shembe) Church. The Mercury reports 13 schools in the province have been accused of forcing pupils who are members of the church to cut their hair. This after they had been warned that they were interfering with pupils’ right to practise their religion.

Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said that the commission was preparing papers to take the department, teachers and principals of the affected schools to the Equality Court to get a binding order that they are ‘to stay away from children’s religious practice’. She hoped the court ruling would make it a criminal offence for the teachers to continue their policy. ‘Secondly, for the Equality Court to make a ruling on the fact that they ignored a Chapter Nine institution,’ she said.