SCA rules that DF Malan High School in Bellville can be renamed
Earlier this week, the SCA upheld an earlier Western Cape High Court ruling, which found that processes conducted by the school governing body (SGB) for the name change were fair and rational.
Hoërskool DF Malan in Bellville, Cape Town. Picture: Google Maps
CAPE TOWN - After a five-year legal battle, the Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled that DF Malan High School in Bellville can be renamed.
The school which is named after South Africa's fourth prime minister and a key architect of apartheid, will adopt the name DF Akademia, in the coming months.
Earlier this week, the SCA upheld an earlier Western Cape High Court ruling, which found that processes conducted by the school governing body (SGB) for the name change were fair and rational.
The challenge was brought by a group of people with links to the school.
They claimed the SGB overstepped its legal powers and conducted an unfair legal process.
Chairperson for the SGB, Ferdi Booysen, said that consultation meetings were held with parents, teachers and learners.
"We also involved the University of Stellenbosch to do sort of an analysis of the findings of the consultative sessions that we held. Basically, they came back with the results, and we interpreted the results and came to the conclusion that you know the current name of the school being DF Malan does not align with the identity and the values of the school currently, and then the governing body proposed that we kick off a process to change the name of the school."
Booysen said that some parents were unhappy with the outcome and decided to head to the courts.
"You know the challenge was before the high court here in Cape Town and the judge at the time, that was now towards the end of 2021, found in favour of the school's governing body in that you know that we were within our rights to propose a name change for the school, that the process that was followed was fair and that the decision to change the name of the school was a rational one."