March 11th, 2011 Schools, Pupils Argue Over Dreadlocks, Nose Ring Issue A Precedent
A school in Cape Town, South Africa is managing a row with a student who refused to cut his dreadlocks, this after a similar issue over nose ring wearing was settled by a Constitutional Court in 2007.
In this case, Odwa Sityata, a practising Rastafarian, is attending a highschool in Khayelitsha but was suspended after he refused to cut his hair. The issue is reminiscent of a similar in case in 2007 when Sunali Pillay, sued the Durban Girls High School because she was forbidden to wear a nose ring despite the accessory being a critical part of her cultural and religious beliefs. The court eventually ruled in favor of Pillay which can result to the same ruling should Sityata follow the same legal processes to make the school accept his decision to retain his dreadlocks.