Senior management at Bergview College in the Eastern Cape has argued that the decision to deregister the school was irrational and unlawful.
This is contained in papers the applicants filed before the provincial high court in Makhanda, where they seek to interdict Education MEC Fundile Gade from deregistering the institution.
Last week, Gade notified management of the decision following the rape of a seven-year-old learner, allegedly on school grounds.
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The mother of the child alleges that the incident took place on 14 October last year, while the child was awaiting transport.
The applicants argued that MEC Gade was on a quest to punish the principal of Bergview College for refusing to submit a DNA sample.
They argued that Gade believed that the refusal warranted sufficient grounds for the deregistration of the school.
The applicants added that the principal had been subjected to a social media trial, found guilty and punished by way of revoking the school’s operating licence.
The litigants further argued that the school was also being penalised for not joining public calls demanding that the principal cooperate with law enforcement.
They argued that the decision to deregister the school on this basis was irrational, arbitrary and unlawful.
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Updated: 02 April 2025 Wednesday
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