“Pupils speak out after ‘kffr’ Halloween party

[…]

By Dolly Menas and Wilma Iita

5 November 2025

A halloween party in Windhoek over the weekend turned controversial after two teenagers allegedly dressed up as black people, wearing ‘kffr’ tags.

The party was hosted at one of the pupils’ homes on Friday, after which several parents lodged complaints with the school one of the pupils attends.

Several social media users condemned a photo of the two pupils with their faces painted black, wearing ‘Kffr 1’ and ‘Kffr 2’ tags on their vests.

The word ‘kffr’ is a derogatory term that was used to refer to black people […] during the apartheid era.

[…]

The two pupils cannot be named since they are minors.

According to some black pupils who were present at the party, the costumes made them “feel mocked and uncomfortable” as the white pupils imitated their race.

“Even though the event did not take place at our school, it reminded us of various occasions where the school would have events and not consider the black race,” a pupil told The Namibian yesterday.

In a leaked letter to parents yesterday which The Namibian has seen, the school where one of the pupils attends, Deutsche Höhere Privatschule, deputy principal Carola von Blottnitz apologised to the affected pupils on behalf of the school and said the involved pupil has also apologised. She said the school is aware of the incident, but confirmed it did not take place on the school’s premises.

“We have involved the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture and sought advice on how to proceed in this case in accordance with our own disciplinary rules, but also the prescribed state rules,” she said.

“The school’s internal rules make it clear that any form of discrimination will not be tolerated and can result in the highest form of disciplinary consequences, depending on the circumstances of the misconduct, the willingness to show understanding and the support of parents,” she said.

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• Full report “Pupils speak out after ‘kffr’ Halloween party” on the website of the Namibian (last checked in November 2025).

• See also the article on blackface in the ‘Glossary’ section of this website.