Hundreds of marchers, including primary school pupils in their uniforms, and their teachers, marched to the Malamulele circuit offices. The spokesperson of the SGB Council Derrick Moswana says acts of nepotism in the appointment of teachers and principals have been reported in various parts of the province. Moswana says they intend going to court to stop the department from continuing with filling of vacant posts.
“The South African Schools Act mandated the SGBs to run the whole process. The Department of Education’s responsibility is to receive the applications do the listing process and thereafter hand them over to the SGB so that the SGBs can formulate panels and can invite successful candidates to an interview and thereafter can make recommendations to the Department of Education for a successful appointment. So without the SGB, that process can never be successful,” says Moswana.
Chairperson of the SGB at Xihlovo primary school, Norman Mabasa, says corruption and nepotism in the appointment of teachers.
“We are demanding that this process of interviewing and shortlisting must stop because the government is not doing its job, we believe all is not well. They must stop what they are doing, government must take its position,” Mabasa explains.
The spokesperson of the group Anti Corruption Forum which organised the protest march, Rodgers Chauke, says they have proof that people are paying bribes to get posts. Chauke also says that only those close to some unions and education senior officials are hired.
“They are busy putting their wives, they are cross flowing the principals, they are taking their wives, they move them from one school to another school where there is a lot of enrollment. We did submit a memorandum and we want the whole process to be stopped until further notice,” Chauke elaborates.
Limpopo’s Education Department has condemned the protest action. Department spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene says they condemn the disruption of classes.
“We have very disturbing reports that indicate that teaching was disrupted this morning at Xhihlovo primary in Malamulele where a group of about 30 people, who introduced themselves as anti-corruption forum, arrived at the school and took learners out of classrooms demanding that they join them in the march to the circuit office. We are told that there are teachers who joined the march to the circuit office. We strongly condemn the acts of stopping lessons by the group especially now when schools are busy with the end of year examinations,” Chuene says.
VIDEO: Disruption of schooling enters second day in Malamulele
