Acting Eastern Cape education boss Ray Tywakadi has revealed that his department had pleaded with President Jacob Zuma to send the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe the department.
This after the Presidency announced on Wednesday that the SIU would investigate maladministration, unlawful conduct, expenditure and negligence in the department. “It is us who made the request and the president had to accede to it,” Tywakadi said yesterday.
He said the request was made last month by education MEC Mandla Makupula but declined to reveal what led to the department’s request.
Makupula could not be reached yesterday.
Following the announcement by the Presidency of the SIU probe, opposition parties criticised the national intervention by the office of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga. Tywakadi would not comment on what the investigation would mean for the intervention, which has been in place since 2011.
Department of Basic Education spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said the minister’s intervention and SIU processes were separate and were handled differently. “DBE continues to support the provincial education department in whatever way that we can in terms of the arrangement in place.
“Government is within its right to intervene in whatever manner that is necessary to bring stability in order to ensure that service delivery takes place...”
Mhlanga said the department had on countless occasions reported to parliament on the work done as part of the intervention in the Eastern Cape. “A lot of progress has been made and yes, a lot more still needs to be done. The purpose is to support, capacitate and monitor, and that we continue to do.”
Eastern Cape portfolio committee on education chairwoman Kholiswa Fihlani said the committee welcomed the investigation.
Rhodes University-based Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) education expert Zukiswa Kota said she also welcomed the announcement by the Presidency.
“We would particularly encourage the involvement of the Auditor-General’s office and of the South African Police Service, given the SAPS’s mandate to take criminal action.
“We also call on the Eastern Cape legislature, the MEC for education and the current acting superintendent-general of the department to take swift, decisive action on completion of the SIU investigation.”
Kota said in noting the relative frequency of such investigations, the PSAM was concerned about the recurrence of cases of serious maladministration within the department.
“While we laud the various investigations, investigations in themselves are meaningless if they do not enhance accountability.”,
Independent education expert Professor Graeme Bloch said the SIU probe came at a time when the province was also dealing with problems of distribution of teachers to schools and inadequate infrastructure.
Questions were sent to SIU acting communications manager Ayanda Maki, but she indicated she would only be able to respond today.
EC education department ‘asked Zuma for SIU probe’
This after the Presidency announced on Wednesday that the SIU would investigate maladministration, unlawful conduct, expenditure and negligence in the department. “It is us who made the request and the president had to accede to it,” Tywakadi said yesterday.
He said the request was made last month by education MEC Mandla Makupula but declined to reveal what led to the department’s request.
Makupula could not be reached yesterday.
Following the announcement by the Presidency of the SIU probe, opposition parties criticised the national intervention by the office of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga. Tywakadi would not comment on what the investigation would mean for the intervention, which has been in place since 2011.
Department of Basic Education spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said the minister’s intervention and SIU processes were separate and were handled differently. “DBE continues to support the provincial education department in whatever way that we can in terms of the arrangement in place.
“Government is within its right to intervene in whatever manner that is necessary to bring stability in order to ensure that service delivery takes place...”
Mhlanga said the department had on countless occasions reported to parliament on the work done as part of the intervention in the Eastern Cape. “A lot of progress has been made and yes, a lot more still needs to be done. The purpose is to support, capacitate and monitor, and that we continue to do.”
Eastern Cape portfolio committee on education chairwoman Kholiswa Fihlani said the committee welcomed the investigation.
Rhodes University-based Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) education expert Zukiswa Kota said she also welcomed the announcement by the Presidency.
“We would particularly encourage the involvement of the Auditor-General’s office and of the South African Police Service, given the SAPS’s mandate to take criminal action.
“We also call on the Eastern Cape legislature, the MEC for education and the current acting superintendent-general of the department to take swift, decisive action on completion of the SIU investigation.”
Kota said in noting the relative frequency of such investigations, the PSAM was concerned about the recurrence of cases of serious maladministration within the department.
“While we laud the various investigations, investigations in themselves are meaningless if they do not enhance accountability.”,
Independent education expert Professor Graeme Bloch said the SIU probe came at a time when the province was also dealing with problems of distribution of teachers to schools and inadequate infrastructure.
Questions were sent to SIU acting communications manager Ayanda Maki, but she indicated she would only be able to respond today.
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