Suspended Hilton College boys apologise

In the picture, which was posted on Instagram on Tuesday, four boys in school uniform are seen standing around another boy wearing a St Anne's Diocesan College summer uniform, bent forward.


The image caused outrage, with Hilton College calling it highly offensive and saying it is 'appalled and cannot condemn this sufficiently strongly'. 

In his response, St Anne's College Head David Arguile said he was also appalled by the action of the boys.

"My reaction is not only linked to the protection of the image of our College but also to the fact that this incident is yet another example of a disturbing trend of many schoolboys to disrespect girls and often reduce them to 'sex objects'," he wrote.

One of the boys in the photo has posted a message on behalf of the group on his Facebook page in which he apologises for their error in judgement.


He says they deeply regret the incident and the impact it has had on the Hilton College and St Anne's communities.


The pupils have explained that the photo was meant as a joke amongst friends, stressing that it was a gross misjudgement.

Hilton College posted on its Facebook page on Friday that the five pupils had been suspended, pending the outcome of a disciplinary process.

Here is the apology that appears on some of the boys' Facebook pages:

17 October 2015

Hilton College
3201, Hilton Avenue
Hilton South Africa

Dear Headmaster, Teachers, Parents and all Hiltonians

We would like to sincerely apologise for our error in judgement with the inappropriate photograph, taken on Tuesday the 13 of October 2015.

We are seriously embarrassed, and deeply regret this incident and the impact on the Hilton College and St Anne’s communities. Our families are devastated due to our actions.

You have the right to know why we made this mistake. It was intended as a joke, between friends, but was a gross misjudgement. This was an act born out of ignorance, not malice and we certainly never meant to cause offense or for the photograph to be interpreted in the manner in which it has. We are not making excuses and take full responsibility for our actions. We genuinely want to make this situation right and we are learning from this dreadful experience.

For us, Hilton College is an amazing school with an incredible heritage and reputation. If we have in any way insulted you or the school, please know we want to make right. We are proud Hiltonians and the pride, honour and responsibility of wearing the “Black and White” uniform is something we will carry in our hearts forever.

We are young boys who have not been raised in such a way. We all come from loving families with sound values and moral grounding. Our mothers have played an important role in our lives, so in no way was this action meant to humiliate or disrespect women. Afterall, it is our mothers who have taught us the importance of honesty, integrity and respect for women. Respect towards women and gender equality are personal beliefs we hold close to our hearts.

Gender equality is a sensitive issue in today’s society. We certainly did not intend to make light of the issue, or in fact even to refer to it, although as Hilton boys we should have known better. We should never have partaken in this reckless prank nor should this photograph have been uploaded onto any social media platform - that was irresponsible of us and we take full ownership..

Unfortunately for all of us, our photograph has been seen in isolation and on the face of it, has been perceived as seriously inappropriate behavior. Whilst it was a prank, it was totally unacceptable. We have learned an enormous amount from this. There is no doubt that we need to understand the repercussions of our social media actions.

This has left an impact on our lives forever.

We deeply apologise for this action and for any hurt it may have caused. Our behavior was truly embarrassing, inappropriate and immature. We are determined to demonstrate that this does not show who we are, nor what we represent, but was rather an unfortunate and thoughtless event that occurred because of nothing else other than our stupidity.

We will truly do everything in our power to represent what the ideal Hilton College boy should be for the rest of our lives.

Sincerely yours,

(Photo: Gallo Images)