Bishops Diocesan College council chair apologises for 'hurtful' social media post about Middle East

Bishops Diocesan College was engulfed in more controversy within hours of confirming a bullying scandal after it emerged the chairperson of its council had posted “deeply hurtful” comments on social media about the war in the Middle East.

Bishops’ principal Tony Reeler, in a letter to parents on Wednesday, confirmed a disciplinary hearing had been held for pupils who allegedly assaulted a classmate in a “shocking” incident last week. The injured pupil had to be hospitalised.

Just hours later, it emerged that council chairperson Crispin Sonn had “caused immediate conflict” in the school community by “reflecting personal views on a clearly controversial topic”, according to correspondence shared with former pupils.

Both incidents became public knowledge in the week that Bishops, and Michaelhouse in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, were ranked among the top 150 private schools in the world in 2024 by the Global Schools Index.

The council, in correspondence shared with the school community, said it had convened on Friday to discuss the social media post which some had found “deeply hurtful and offensive”. The post was made in his personal capacity and later deleted.

“In his submission to council, Crispin clarified that it was never his intention to single out one particular grouping, nation or belief system for criticism, and that he could have expressed himself more clearly and sensitively to avoid any such misunderstanding of his message,” read the letter.

“Council reviewed his explanation and proposed course of action which reinforced our belief in Crispin’s integrity and ability to lead our council.”

Crispin submitted a letter to the council to explain his actions — which the council shared, saying it offered a sincere apology to the Bishops community.

The letter reads:

From the Chair of Council

As some members of the Bishops community may be aware, a recent post I made on my personal Facebook page relating to the tragic situation in the Middle East, has attracted significant attention and, regrettably, caused some offence.

After reading many of the comments in response to my post, I realised that the message I had intended to make with my Facebook post had been misunderstood by some people, and I immediately withdrew and deleted the post in question.

The concerns that I attempted to make in my since-deleted post, have been and remain around my strong opposition to the wilful dehumanisation of persons, in order to justify prejudice that is harmful to others, and which is also abused to justify ongoing conflicts with widespread death and destruction globally.

I want to clarify that my intent was not to single out any particular grouping or belief system, but rather to condemn the harmful practice of dehumanisation in all its forms. I regret that I did not articulate what I intended as a non-partisan message, more clearly and with greater sensitivity. I am sorry for the offence my post has caused

My post was certainly not intended to be anti-Semitic. I am actively opposed to anti-Semitism, in any shape or form. I am likewise utterly against racism in any shape or form. I believe my public record and conduct over a lifetime stand in testimony of this.

My position in relation to Bishops is that I view it as an outstanding educational institution and an asset to the South African society. I trust that any anger around my since-deleted Facebook post can be put to rest, and that we can collectively refocus on building on the excellent foundations laid at Bishops over a period already approaching two centuries.

As always, I remain open to respectful, constructive dialogue and engagement to better understand and develop more comprehensive insight into complex and often deeply-divisive issues. I have made myself available for such dialogue before, and continue to do so.

Yours sincerely

Crispin Sonn

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