The fallout from a cancelled school tennis match between Roedean School and King David has been playing out for weeks now. In the mix are allegations of anti-Semitism, resignations by senior Roedean leadership, and an independent forensic investigation. Not to mention a healthy dollop of social commentary to add spice.
If you haven’t been following the Roedean and King David saga, check out our Wrap story here.
Among all the commentary and opinion pieces, one aspect has been missing: the impact on the students at both schools.
“I don’t think young people want conflict. I don’t think young people don’t want to play a tennis match against [each other],” says Professor Gcobani Qamela, a senior anthropologist and researcher at the University of Johannesburg. But, he adds, young people do want to see their concerns being taken seriously.
Leadership failures
That’s why Qamela is among the many commentators who think the entire situation was handled badly. “This was a missed opportunity from both schools to really show us how tough, challenging moments can be handled in a way that’s amicable,” Qamela says.
An independent investigation commissioned by Roedean found the school made several missteps. One major issue was that “concerns raised by a number of students prior to the match were not managed through appropriate leadership processes”.
Tendani Mulaudzi, a writer and Roedean Old Girl told explain she was proud of the girls for standing up for what they believe in. “In my time, something like this would never have happened,” she wrote on her Substack.
Roedean is one of the top-ranked schools in the country. One of its guiding principles is to develop “individual independence of thought that enables pupils to make sound judgements and face challenges”.
Given its commitment to building leaders of the future, Mulaudzi said it’s impossible for a school like Roedean to be apolitical. “I don’t think a leader can remain apolitical in any sort of environment, especially when it comes to human rights,” she says.
What does it mean to be ‘apolitical’?
Jared Sacks, a writer and activist with South African Jews for a Free Palestine, says the very idea of institutions being apolitical is farcical. Both Sacks and Qamela argue that claiming to be apolitical is in itself a political stance.
Qamela, who runs school workshops focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion, says pupils show an advanced level of political awareness on topics such as gender and racial inclusivity. In the age of social media, schools cannot be surprised that real-world conflicts have an impact on their pupils.
It certainly shouldn’t be a surprise to Roedean. During the leaked phone calls between the heads of school, Roedean’s now former principal referred to a 2025 incident in which Roedean students expressed distress. This happened when Roedean students played a fixture at King David’s and were met by armed guards and posters of Israeli hostages.
Proudly Zionist
While Roedean was quick to say it is apolitical, King David was equally quick to turn to its political identity and claim antisemitism. This is despite Roedean’s principal not mentioning Jewish people in the leaked voice notes.
On its school website, King David displays images of its students waving the Israeli flag. The school’s mission is “instil a love, passion, and knowledge for Torah and Israel in our students, both through formal and informal methods”, firmly connecting their Jewish faith to Israel.
Sacks says King David is proudly political. “It’s very clear about its politics. It supports the state of Israel, no matter what, and it conflates support for Israel and Zionism with Judaism.” Anti-Zionist Jewish people like Sacks are then labelled as “sellouts”.
Qamela also questions whether dissenting voices at King David are allowed to speak up for their politics. He says King David needs to acknowledge the views expressed by the Roedean students – and possibly by some of its own pupils. “I think [students] might be feeling suppressed to add dissenting views against Israel because the school has taken a particular position on this matter.”
When it comes to Roedean, Qamela says: “They have to acknowledge that they’re not apolitical. This moment has shown that politics is infused in all their stakeholders, their students, their parents, their board members, their leadership.”
The resignation of the principal
Mulaudzi told explain she and her peers were really happy to see that a black woman had been appointed as Roedean’s head. In light of recent events, Mulaudzi feels Mogale was an easy target because her phone call was recorded without her knowledge, and she was forced to resign. “I feel that she did have good intentions in approaching the head of King David, but unfortunately, it was completely misconstrued.”
Sacks does not think Roedean should have apologised for anything except for lying about the reasons for cancelling the match. He believes its apology on behalf of the entire community, not just the individuals in leadership positions, was inappropriate.
Dialogue could be used for learning
The current situation could have been handled differently by bringing the students together in dialogue, instead of allowing it to spiral out of control.
“You have to find ways when you are in leadership to get people to talk, particularly when they disagree with each other. That’s what leadership is,” Qamela says. “Leadership is not about managing moments of happiness. It’s also about managing these moments, not just in the moment of crisis, but the potential crisis that you see [unfolding].”
Given the political consciousness the Roedean students displayed, the school’s insistence on being apolitical is ironic, says Qamela. He sympathises with parents and schools who might want to protect pupils from the wider world, but he doesn’t think any school in South Africa – 32 years after liberation – can say it “doesn’t do politics”.
Phase two of the investigation is still to be released. In the meantime, there is a lot of work both schools should be doing to create a healthy space of debate for the pupils under their care.
