Students also say they have been told not to speak in other languages with one another, and that often, when a group of girls are walking together, they are told to disperse, BuzzFeed reports.

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“I’m truly sorry and I can assure you that it ends here,” the local education chief, Lesufi, said of the situation, according to News24. “You have my support and I will protect you. Your pain will never again continue for as long as I’m still the MEC in this province.”

Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa tweeted out his support for the girls at Pretoria.

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According to the BBC, the school has yet to respond to the allegations. The network, however, noted that the school's code of conduct did not specifically mention Afros in its detailed list of rules about hair.

"This is about our identity as black people. We're tired of being told to be less than what we are so we can fit in," one of the protesters told the BBC.

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As the network notes, the hashtag #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh was trending across the region on social media, where several young black South Africans have been speaking out about beauty, cultural tolerance and racism.