- Muizenberg High School has cancelled its matric farewell that was scheduled to take place on 15 December.
- This was due to the secondary impact that the event could have on the health and safety of the public.
- The school is in the process of fully refunding the money that was paid for the farewell.
A high school in Cape Town says it is no longer going ahead with its planned matric farewell in the interest of public safety.
Muizenberg High School cancelled their farewell scheduled to take place on 15 December due to the secondary impact that the event could have on the health and safety of the public.
"The school is not going ahead with the event," the school's principal Leonie Jacobsen told News24.
"I do believe we have had the interest of our learners and their families at heart with all our decisions we made; from the planned two night event at a venue (to accommodate the limitation on numbers per venue), the postponement of the event to a much bigger venue and a more suitable date after the clubbing event, to the rescheduling of the event to accommodate the rewrites," she added.
On Thursday CapeTalk reported that Jacobsen said the event was arranged for matric pupils earlier this year and plans have been revised in order to adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols.
Consultation
However, she since told News24 that when she made that statement, they were already in the consultation process, deciding whether or not to go ahead with the event.
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"We do not take the decision lightly and we apologise for any inconvenience and disappointments," added Jacobsen.
Kerry Mauchline, spokesperson for Western Cape Education MEC Debbie Schafer, said the department was currently engaging with the school on the matter.
"Matric farewell functions are considered non-curricular activities and there is no official WCED policy on them," said Mauchline.
"However, the department encouraged schools and parents to consider the risks involved in arranging matric farewell events," she added.
The school was in the process of fully refunding the money that had been paid for the farewell.