Opposition parties want action on Sadtu’s jobs-for-cash scheme

Opposition parties have demanded that criminal charges should immediately be laid against those South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) officials alleged to have sold posts for personal gain.

“An investigation into Sadtu’s jobs-for-cash scandal has revealed the extent to which the union puts the interest of its members above the needs of our children‚” the Democratic Alliance’s shadow basic education minister‚ Annette Lovemore‚ said.

This was echoed by the Congress of the People’s (Cope) Dennis Bloem‚ who said: “Government must lead from the front‚ not follow cravenly from behind.

“The people of our country vote for a government. They do not vote for a teacher union. The authority of the state is for the state to exercise. Its failure to do so has brought education to a sorry pass.”

Among the findings of the report — instituted by minister of basic education Angie Motshekga and headed by Professor John Volmink – are‚ according to a report in Sunday’s City Press:

•  Union officials in KwaZulu-Natal insisted that the department reduce the educational requirements for the posts of educational specialists from degrees to diplomas;
•  A candidate for a principal post in Gauteng was contacted by Sadtu officials who tried to extort R25000 in return for the post; and
•  Sadtu essentially runs the KwaZulu-Natal department of education‚ dictating who gets what jobs.

While Cope and the DA both want disciplinary and criminal proceedings to proceed against officials named in the report‚ the latter has also demanded that Motshekga make her report public‚ and table it urgently before “Parliament’s portfolio committee on basic education‚ together with her plan of action to deal decisively with what her investigation has uncovered”.

“The minister has the power to table the report on the investigations and expose the extent to which Sadtu is damaging the educational opportunities and futures of our children‚” Lovemore said.

“She also has the power to break their death grip on public education.”

Bloem said that Cope‚ “since its inception‚ has held that unions must exist independently of any political party”.

“It is inherently dangerous for government to lose control to a union as we are now witnessing. We are witnessing corruption becoming widespread and teachers deserving of promotion being overlooked because of the irregular manipulation and abuse of power by a teacher union.”

“Cope urges government to ensure that union leaders who turned tenderpreneurs‚ selling promotion posts‚ face the wrath of the law without delay.”