Cosatu is threatening a “total shutdown” of Limpopo if the province doesn’t get its education department in working order.
The union’s provincial leaders have demanded an apology from Premier Stanley Mathabatha and education MEC Ishmael Kgetjepe for the late delivery of teaching materials and malaise in the department.
“We expect the premier and the MEC to apologise as a matter of urgency‚” said Cosatu provincial Limpopo secretary Gerald Mkhomazi Twala.
Twala said the union would march to Mathabatha and Kgetjepe’s offices on January 26 to hand over a memorandum detailing their expectations for a “quick turnaround strategy” for the ailing department.
“We are saying‚ ‘enough is enough’. We think we must rise up and send a clear message to the department‚” he said.
Twala said if no apology and turnaround strategy was forthcoming‚ the union would prepare for a “total shutdown” which would see the shutdown of government buildings in Polokwane and beyond.
“We have over 150 000 members in Limpopo. We are going to mobilise them to do a total shutdown of all government services‚” he said.
Twala said the union’s stance was necessitated by years of chaos in the department and poor matric performance.
In a press statement‚ the union criticised the department for repeatedly receiving disclaimers from the Auditor-General’s office‚ with high amounts of irregular expenditure. The union said previous interventions by the national government‚ under section 100 of the Constitution‚ did not result in changes in how the department handled spending.
“We are calling for national government‚ the ministers of basic and higher education in particular‚ to urgently put in place programmes‚ resources and capacity into the department of education if they are serious about supporting and improving the standard of education in rural provinces such as Limpopo‚” the union said in the statement.
On Wednesday‚ the department said it was closely monitoring the delivery of teaching materials‚ including stationery‚ which was delivered late or not at all to hundreds of schools.
“The delay in the delivery of stationery is mainly due to the appointment of a new supplier‚ following the expiry of a three-year contract that supplied stationery to our schools‚” the department said.
The department said textbooks had been delivered to all schools that had placed orders on time‚ while deliveries were still being made to those that placed orders late.
“We are working around the clock to ensure that delivery is completed by the end of January‚” the department said in a written statement.
Cosatu threatens shutdown over poor state of Limpopo education
The union’s provincial leaders have demanded an apology from Premier Stanley Mathabatha and education MEC Ishmael Kgetjepe for the late delivery of teaching materials and malaise in the department.
“We expect the premier and the MEC to apologise as a matter of urgency‚” said Cosatu provincial Limpopo secretary Gerald Mkhomazi Twala.
Twala said the union would march to Mathabatha and Kgetjepe’s offices on January 26 to hand over a memorandum detailing their expectations for a “quick turnaround strategy” for the ailing department.
“We are saying‚ ‘enough is enough’. We think we must rise up and send a clear message to the department‚” he said.
Twala said if no apology and turnaround strategy was forthcoming‚ the union would prepare for a “total shutdown” which would see the shutdown of government buildings in Polokwane and beyond.
“We have over 150 000 members in Limpopo. We are going to mobilise them to do a total shutdown of all government services‚” he said.
Twala said the union’s stance was necessitated by years of chaos in the department and poor matric performance.
In a press statement‚ the union criticised the department for repeatedly receiving disclaimers from the Auditor-General’s office‚ with high amounts of irregular expenditure. The union said previous interventions by the national government‚ under section 100 of the Constitution‚ did not result in changes in how the department handled spending.
“We are calling for national government‚ the ministers of basic and higher education in particular‚ to urgently put in place programmes‚ resources and capacity into the department of education if they are serious about supporting and improving the standard of education in rural provinces such as Limpopo‚” the union said in the statement.
On Wednesday‚ the department said it was closely monitoring the delivery of teaching materials‚ including stationery‚ which was delivered late or not at all to hundreds of schools.
“The delay in the delivery of stationery is mainly due to the appointment of a new supplier‚ following the expiry of a three-year contract that supplied stationery to our schools‚” the department said.
The department said textbooks had been delivered to all schools that had placed orders on time‚ while deliveries were still being made to those that placed orders late.
“We are working around the clock to ensure that delivery is completed by the end of January‚” the department said in a written statement.
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