Update on the Pretoria Girls crowdfunding initiative: Richard Wilkinson
Key topics:
R141,151 raised to support suspended principal Mrs Erasmus
Erasmus suspended for unpaid help from husband on school grounds
Petition gains 2,200+ signatures; legal appeal and support continue
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By Richard Wilkinson
Last week, we launched a crowdfunding initiative in response to the shocking and wholly irrational verdict that was recently delivered against the principal of Pretoria High School for Girls, Mrs Phillipa Erasmus. She was found guilty of permitting her husband to assist with gardening on the school grounds – a task he performed voluntarily, without compensation and with the full approval of the School Governing Body. As a result, Mrs Erasmus has been suspended from her position for three months without pay. Another staff member has also been suspended for one month, similarly without pay, based on equally unfounded charges.
I am pleased to share that, as of Monday 4 August 2025, the crowdfunding campaign had raised a total of R141,151 from 100 individual donors. The campaign remains open, and as EFT payments take a few days to reflect, this figure may still rise in the coming days. While the amount raised so far does not yet fully cover the three months of lost salary for Mrs Erasmus, it brings us significantly closer to reaching that target.
Mrs Erasmus is in the process of appealing both the guilty finding and the sanction. In the meantime, the funds raised will remain in the trust account of Savage Jooste and Adams Inc, and will be managed in accordance with the mandate set out in my previous article entitled Come Join the Counter-Offensive at Pretoria Girls. Should you still wish to contribute to this cause, please direct your payment to the following trust account:
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. We will provide further updates as and when new developments arise.
Sign the petition
A second way to help would be to sign the petition which has been started by a group of former students of Pretoria Girls on change.org and which has already attracted over 2,200 signatures. It is available here:
https://www.change.org/p/support-our-principal-at-pretoria-high-school-for-girls
(Please take careful note that change.org solicits donations for its own purposes which are wholly unconnected to the previously mentioned fundraising. Should you wish to make a donation in support of Mrs Erasmus, please do not do so via change.org but rather make use of Savage Jooste and Adams Inc’s trust account details set out above.)
Read more:
There has also been a great deal of positive media coverage of this matter in recent days. Perhaps the best summary is provided in the following interview conducted by Alec Hogg with Craig Hezlett, the Chairman of the School Governing Body, and Mike Erasmus, the husband of Mrs Erasmus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=AEfzXxQn8XWYSX9N&v=K6MTyFsED14&feature=youtu.be
Together, we can defeat School Capture
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to every single person who has contributed to this campaign. The largest individual donation is R10,000, but the overwhelming majority of contributions were far smaller – and no less meaningful. Every donation, regardless of size, is deeply appreciated and has brought us closer to our goal.
Banking records do not always reflect the identities of individual donors. If you have notified me that you made a contribution, we will be in touch with you in the coming days to express our thanks in person. Many other people have contributed their expertise, networks and time in support of this cause – and I extend my gratutude to each of you.
The battle for South Africa’s future is, at its core, a battle for control over institutions – and few institutions are more vital than our schools and universities. This successful fundraising initiative demonstrates that far more South Africans are committed to protecting and strengthening our schools than there are those intent on tearing them down. I have no doubt that, if we stand together with courage and determination, we can overcome those who seek to dismantle exceptional institutions like Pretoria Girls.