The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile device in this photo illustration. Picture: Jaap Arriens, NurPhoto via AFP
FOUR Northern Cape pupils who appeared in a TikTok video in which racial slurs were uttered and that went viral have been suspended.
The Northern Cape Department of Education confirmed on Thursday afternoon that the four pupils who appeared in the video are from Duineveld High School.
They are aged between 17 and 18.
Provincial Department of Education spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe said: “Duineveld High School has acted immediately, in line with their Code of Conduct and placed these learners on suspension.”
He said the disciplinary hearings have been scheduled for September 17.
In the video, teenage boys are seen in a live TikTok video chatting to a content creator identified as @UncleSeeno.
The teenager says: “Yo Yo Yo, what’s up my n*****?”
When the content creator responds: “Did you call me a n*****?
The teenager replies: “I said that you are a k*****.”
He then repeats the K-word when the content creator asks if he has anything else to add before the video goes up.
Van der Merwe said the content of the video goes against the norms and values “we instil in our learners at school”.
He added: “The video sent shock waves through the country and left many people in disbelief. The department would like to remind parents to monitor the social media usage of their children and make sure they always act responsibly.”
He added that racism had no place in our schools and in our school communities.
“Moreover, each and every one of us, as active citizens in South Africa, as leaders of change in our country, need to speak out about racism.
“We need to support and educate learners on the many social injustices such as racism, colonialism and apartheid that continue to cause major issues in South Africa today, just as it did in the past.”
Van der Merwe said the department would monitor the developments closely and provide the necessary support to Duineveld High School.