Political party to take action after top South African school’s alleged anti-Jewish action

The Freedom Front Plus will take action against the “alarming pattern of anti-Semitism and the marginalisation of minority groups within the educational sector”.

It released a statement on Wednesday, saying the battle between the Jewish King David School and Roedean School revealed a much deeper issue.

The controversy centres on a tennis match between the Jewish King David School in Linksfield, Johannesburg, and Roedean School that did not take place.

On Sunday, 8 February 2026, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) condemned what they called a discriminatory refusal to play at a Jewish School.

“We condemn the blatant prejudice shown by the Roedean, which refused to honour the fixture scheduled with the King David girls’ team,” the group said.

“This disturbing refusal to play Jewish learners is deeply upsetting for the Jewish tennis players. It also conveys the message that hate and discrimination have become acceptable values at Roedean.”

It added that Roedean cannot claim to be “guided by a strong set of values and principles” when it violates the South African Constitution.

Roedean School for Girls said that the cancellation was due to “prior school commitments” and “compulsory academic workshops”.

However, a recording of a conversation between representatives of Roedean School and King David School suggested otherwise.

The Roedean School representative explained that the decision was driven by political pressure from parents objecting to playing against a Jewish school.

The representative from Roedean School added that this came in the wake of the South African government’s stance on Israel.

“We’re facing a bit of pressure from our community and our constituents regarding just not playing against King David,” the teacher said.

The speaker explicitly links this pressure to broader societal issues, noting, “What’s happening out in society is now affecting us at a school level.”

In a statement following this, Roedean admitted that they “requested a postponement to resolve issues with students who’d expressed reservations about playing the fixture.”

The Freedom Front Plus enters the fray

The Freedom Front Plus joined the battle this week, saying it reveals an alarming pattern of anti-Semitism and the marginalisation of minority groups.

The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) said it was in possession of two audio recordings, allegedly of conversations between the two principals.

In the first conversation, a female, purportedly representing Roedean, explicitly states that King David’s Jewish identity is the problem.

In the second recording, the person denies this. “The Freedom Front Plus cannot make any pronouncement on the authenticity of the recordings,” it said.

The political party said it may seem trivial for two privileged, independent schools in Johannesburg to miss a tennis match.

“Yet the possibility that ethnicity is an underlying factor makes it serious,” the Freedom Front Plus said in a press statement.

Section 235 of the Constitution entrenches the right of every community sharing a common linguistic and cultural heritage to freely express its identity.

“The South African Jewish Board of Education, under whose authority the ten King David schools in Johannesburg operate, meets all the requirements of this section,” it said.

“It would, therefore, be unconstitutional for another school to pressure the school to distance itself from its identity, whether through sports boycotts or any other means.”

In the Freedom Front Plus’s view, cultural groups that wish to do so are justified in seeking legislation that guarantees their right to culture-based education.

This should happen without consequent discrimination. “The party, therefore, plans to take action in this matter,” it said.