Tempers boil over as parents clash over foreign learner enrolments

HEATED confrontation broke out at Addington Primary School in Durban on Wednesday as South African parents and foreign nationals clashed over the enrolment of learners at the institution.

- SIPHO JACK

PARENTS at Addington Primary School in Durban protest against the enrolment of foreign learners, claiming it prioritises them over South African children.

(SIPHO JACK)

At the heart of the dispute was the allegation that foreign pupils were being given preference for places at the school over local children.

Tensions escalated when local parents, at the end of the school day, attempted to conduct a headcount of foreign learners attending the school, as they exited the school’s premises.

This led to incidents of stone-throwing and physical confrontations between some members of the large group of protesters that gathered outside the school, and parents who had arrived to collect their children.

Members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and metro police intervened, and a water cannon and teargas were used to prevent the clashes from escalating further.

The friction first surfaced last week, at the start of the 2026 school year, following revelations that 66 local learners had not been enrolled at the school due to a lack of space. This sparked widespread discontent, particularly among local parents.