Two Western Cape teenagers have won their fight against Oakdale Agricultural School after the High Court ruled the school's punishment for vaping was excessive, humiliating and unlawful.
The case centred on two Grade 10 pupils, identified as L and M, both promising rugby players selected to represent the South Western District. The boys, who attend the school on scholarships and live in its hostel, had twice been caught with vapes, first in 2023 and again in August 2024.
Initially, they were suspended from the hostel for six weeks after the first incident. But when they were caught again, the school's governing body escalated the matter, issuing a permanent expulsion from the hostel, as reported by News24 . Both admitted to breaking the rules, but their parents argued the punishment went far beyond what the school's code of conduct allowed.