PHSG School Capture Part 10: Join the counter-offensive - Richard Wilkinson

Key topics:

• Principal Erasmus suspended after disputed misconduct findings

• Crowdfunding launched to support her legal and financial fight

• Campaign challenges political interference in school leadership

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By Richard Wilkinson

Last month, I published an article explaining that the long-suffering principal of Pretoria High School for Girls, Mrs Erasmus, had been found guilty of two counts of misconduct following a protracted investigation conducted by the Gauteng Department of Education. The first was that she improperly allowed her husband to help maintain the school’s gardens – work he did voluntarily, without pay and with the full knowledge and approval of the School Governing Body. The second charge was that she failed to properly advise the School Governing Body during the appointment of the school’s head of finance – an allegation based on a minor technicality that is, in any case, strongly disputed. 

These feeble charges were all that the Gauteng Department of Education could produce after subjecting Mrs Erasmus and the rest of Pretoria Girls to an open-ended investigation into what it claimed was a “culture of racism” at the school. This came after the collapse of an earlier set of allegations made against twelve white Matric girls – all of whom were exonerated in a disciplinary hearing exactly one year ago. For a fuller account of this tedious ordeal, please refer to my recent article entitled The Ludicrous Persecution of the Principal of Pretoria Girls. 

Last week, Mrs Erasmus was informed of the sanction to follow the guilty verdicts: a three-month suspension without pay. When I first heard this, I thought I had misunderstood. In South Africa, state officials are routinely suspended with full pay – often for years – regardless of the seriousness of their misconduct. Yet Mrs Erasmus, who has committed no actual wrongdoing, will have her salary docked for three months. It seems there is one set of rules for corrupt and incompetent officials, and another for blameless, hard-working school principals who become the targets of political witch-hunts. 

This simply cannot be allowed to stand. And so, a network of parents, teachers, lawyers and other concerned individuals have come together to fight back against this latest injustice by setting up a crowdfunding campaign.

A crowdfunding campaign for Mrs Erasmus and the parents of the wrongfully accused girls

Donations will be paid to a trust fund that Savage, Jooste and Adams Inc has kindly offered to administer. Savage Jooste and Adams Inc is a Pretoria law firm that has consistently supported Mrs Erasmus and other school officials in the face of the sustained campaign of persecution by the Gauteng Department of Education. As agreed with Savage Jooste and Adams Inc and the Free Speech Union of South Africa, the crowdfunding campaign will be structured and administered as follows.

The first priority of the crowdfunding campaign will be to compensate Mrs Erasmus for any financial loss that she suffers as a result of the sanction applied last week (i.e. three months’ forfeited salary). This is subject to the proviso that if her sanction is ever lifted and the department pays her salary, she will reimburse to the fund what she has received from the fund.

Should the funds raised exceed the financial loss suffered by Mrs Erasmus, then the surplus funds will be used to support other teachers who are in a similar position to Mrs Erasmus. These disbursements will be made at the discretion of Savage, Jooste and Adams Inc up until 31 August 2025.

Thereafter, any remaining funds will be paid by Savage Jooste and Adams Inc to the Free Speech Union of South Africa, a non-profit company established and led by Sara Gon. The Free Speech Union of South Africa will ring-fence these funds for possible litigation to be initiated by school officials and / or the parents of the twelve Matric girls who were wrongfully accused of racism at Pretoria Girls in July 2024. The Free Speech Union of South Africa will assist the parents in obtaining legal counsel and will direct the use of the funds in this regard.  ​

Finally, should litigation not materialise or should there be any funds remaining following litigation, then these residual funds will be paid to Pretoria High School for Girls for the general benefit of the school.​

Should you wish to contribute to this cause, please direct your payment to the following trust account at Savage Jooste and Adams Inc:

Bank: Standard Bank

Branch: Pretoria

Branch code: 010045

Branch code (electronic payments): 051001

Account holder: SAVAGE JOOSTE &ADAMS TRUST ACC

Legal entity name: SAVAGE JOOSTE & ADAMS INC

Account number: 010622233

Account type: Attorneys Trust Account

SWIFT address: SBZA ZA JJ

Please use the following reference code when making payments: MVS/W258.

Taking the Fight to the Gauteng Department of Education

It is now clear that the Gauteng Department of Education’s strategy all along has been to force Mrs Erasmus – and other senior staff – out of Pretoria High School for Girls, likely with the aim of replacing them with ANC-aligned operatives from the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union. Previous attempts, including bullying and publicly shaming her with trumped-up allegations of racism, have failed. Now the Department is resorting to an overtly unlawful attempt to dock her salary.

This is not an isolated incident. It is merely the latest in a pattern of abuse – with Pretoria Girls having already been targeted at least twice before. The ongoing mistreatment of teachers and pupils in South African schools will not stop until those responsible are held accountable – not just politically, but legally and financially.

Over the past year, many people have expressed their desire to protect Pretoria Girls from School Capture but have not known how they could help. If you are such a person, then this is your opportunity. If you would like to support Mrs Erasmus – and if you would like to take a stand against the forces enabling this destructive agenda – please consider making a donation.

Your support will be warmly welcomed and deeply appreciated.