Premier Phumulo Masualle has demanded answers from education MEC Mandla Makupula and his top management on why a R530-million grant for building schools was not spent.
This follows a decision by the National Treasury to redirect the more than half-a-billion rand to three other provinces, after the provincial department failed to use the infrastructure grant they received last year.
The money would have gone to building new schools, renovating old ones and providing toilets, water and electricity for the province’s needy schools. The failure to spend the money comes while the department still has a backlog of 350 mud and unsafe schools especially in the former Transkei.
Speaking to the Dispatch yesterday, Masualle’s spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said: “We demand answers from the education MEC and his entire senior management team, to explain how and why this has been allowed to occur”.
Kupelo said Mausalle “is gravely concerned about the fact that such a huge amount of a grant had to be returned while there is such huge demand for these services in the province”. This is the third incident in just three months that the premier has had to give Makupula an ultimatum.
At the beginning of the year Masualle expressed his disappointment that the 2015 matric pass rate had dropped to 56.8% compared to the previous year’s 65.4%. The poor performance resulted in a heated executive council (exco) meeting late in January in which Makupula committed to sort out the mess.
But the premier’s visit to several schools across the province at the beginning of the school year suggested a department in chaos, as several schools had no permanent school principals.
Masualle gave Makupula until March 1 to fill all vacant principals posts.
The Dispatch reported last week that more than 300 of those positions remain vacant, but have since been filled in an acting capacity.
The Dispatch also reported last month that Masualle was considering moving Makupula to the public works department.
But the Dispatch can reveal today that an ANC provincial executive committee lekgotla late last month made the premier change his mind.
A senior PEC member who attended the bosberaad said: “The PEC pleaded for cool heads, saying we will continue firing MECs and HODs at education, but the problem was with some of the permanent senior managers who are not willing to make that department work.
“The MEC was asked to act against those who fail to do what was expected of them, and assess them regularly, failing which the axe will fall on him.”
The Dispatch reported yesterday that education stakeholders including non-governmental organisations such as Equal Education, as well as political parties including the ANC are calling for heads to roll.
“We have noted the calls for the premier to sack the MEC but our view is that problems in the education department do not require such shortcuts in addressing them.
“The premier must be allowed time to deal with these issues and he is as concerned as everyone about the failure to spend,” Kupelo said.
Premier demands answers from MEC
This follows a decision by the National Treasury to redirect the more than half-a-billion rand to three other provinces, after the provincial department failed to use the infrastructure grant they received last year.
The money would have gone to building new schools, renovating old ones and providing toilets, water and electricity for the province’s needy schools. The failure to spend the money comes while the department still has a backlog of 350 mud and unsafe schools especially in the former Transkei.
Speaking to the Dispatch yesterday, Masualle’s spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said: “We demand answers from the education MEC and his entire senior management team, to explain how and why this has been allowed to occur”.
Kupelo said Mausalle “is gravely concerned about the fact that such a huge amount of a grant had to be returned while there is such huge demand for these services in the province”. This is the third incident in just three months that the premier has had to give Makupula an ultimatum.
At the beginning of the year Masualle expressed his disappointment that the 2015 matric pass rate had dropped to 56.8% compared to the previous year’s 65.4%. The poor performance resulted in a heated executive council (exco) meeting late in January in which Makupula committed to sort out the mess.
But the premier’s visit to several schools across the province at the beginning of the school year suggested a department in chaos, as several schools had no permanent school principals.
Masualle gave Makupula until March 1 to fill all vacant principals posts.
The Dispatch reported last week that more than 300 of those positions remain vacant, but have since been filled in an acting capacity.
The Dispatch also reported last month that Masualle was considering moving Makupula to the public works department.
But the Dispatch can reveal today that an ANC provincial executive committee lekgotla late last month made the premier change his mind.
A senior PEC member who attended the bosberaad said: “The PEC pleaded for cool heads, saying we will continue firing MECs and HODs at education, but the problem was with some of the permanent senior managers who are not willing to make that department work.
“The MEC was asked to act against those who fail to do what was expected of them, and assess them regularly, failing which the axe will fall on him.”
The Dispatch reported yesterday that education stakeholders including non-governmental organisations such as Equal Education, as well as political parties including the ANC are calling for heads to roll.
“We have noted the calls for the premier to sack the MEC but our view is that problems in the education department do not require such shortcuts in addressing them.
“The premier must be allowed time to deal with these issues and he is as concerned as everyone about the failure to spend,” Kupelo said.
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