Senior government employee Tshediso Mangope, who caused a stir with his controversial Facebook posts, has sent an apology to South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and teachers in general.

Mangope says his posts were meant to be a joke but he now realises the damage it has caused.

In a now-deleted post, Mangope took a swipe at teachers who are members of Sadtu , implying that he would not subject his children to them.

“One should be careful of the things we say because of the responsibility that we hold in government. It was highly regrettable and I want to extend a sincere apology to not only educators in this country but also to everybody who may have been offended by the irreparable post that I made. At an appropriate time, I will extend a formal communication with the trade union and explain where I was coming from but also to offer my sincere apology for the anguish and the pain that I have caused.”

Mangope is an advisor to Cooperative Governance MEC Mxolisi Dukwana .

The Free State Department of Cooperative Governance provincial spokesperson Zolile Lobe says MEC Mxolisi Dukwana and HOD Mokete Duma engaged with Mangope.

Lobe says the department will help Mangope undergo rehabilitation so that he does not repeat similar mistakes in future.

“Immediately after that, he was engaged by the head of the department together with the MEC as the people that are direct to be related to him as the accounting officer. So, Mangope has demonstrated remorse, his first reaction was that he accepts that he made an error of judgment and he demonstrated genuine remorse to this to which as the department he was instructed to retract and write a letter of apology that would be presented to both Sadtu, to the teachers in general and to the broader South African community. And he was more than willing to do that and as the department, we believe that his regret is genuine and comes from a genuine heart.”