Parktown Boys' High School pupils are to wear purple ribbons on Monday in solidarity with the school's beleaguered Druce Hall hostel. They have asked other boys' schools in Joburg to follow suit.
Marc McLean, chairman of the Druce Hall parent body, said the motivation behind the ribbons should not be read as the boys' agreement with the initiation of other pupils at the hostel.
"You must understand there are 900 boys at the school, and what happened did not affect only the 12 or 14 boys but the entire school," he said. "The spirit in the school is so low and the boys are depressed because of this incident."
He stressed that the boys were not in any way saying initiation was good, but that message was intended to uplift their spirits. "It is just to say we are with you (the victims and those who were suspended) and we understand what you are going through," he explained.
Although other boys' schools were expected to heed the call by wearing ribbons, McLean would not say how many in Joburg would do this.
The Saturday Star understands, however, at least one prominent girls' school has expressly forbidden its pupils from taking part. "We have spoken to quite a number of them (boys 'schools) and there have been some responses," he added. "This is not being forced on anybody. It is up to each and every individual to decide whether they want to wear these ribbons." - Thabiso Thakali
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