AfriForum appeals to Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, to resign

30 September 2015

In response to Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi’s announcement on Tuesday that he would like to change the Schools Act in order to limit the powers of school governing bodies, AfriForum appealed to Lesufi to resign. The Act currently provides that governing bodies may inter alia decide on schools’ language, admission, religious and employment policies – a process which AfriForum regards to be democratic, ensuring that schools serve their respective communities.

According to Alana Bailey, Deputy CEO of AfriForum responsible for language issues, the MEC does not have the power to revise legislation. “His statement is one of several in the past two years that have caused unnecessary tensions and have not been in the interests of education in the province, as it detracts attention from problems such as dysfunctional schools. Parents are deterred by the ongoing attacks on governing bodies’ powers and end up rather enrolling children in private schools if they can afford it, which has a negative impact on public education. The fact that Lesufi uses apartheid as an excuse for his own power-hungry agenda results in Gauteng communities being polarized needlessly.”

In the recent past, schemes of Lesufi such as the plan to “twin” schools, and the proposal to transform single-medium Afrikaans schools into parallel-medium schools, have resulted in opposition and even legal action. Bailey mentioned that AfriForum is ready to oppose Lesufi’s latest intentions, if he were to forge ahead with it. “The preservation of single-medium Afrikaans schools is directly linked to the preservation of Afrikaans as high-function language. The MEC has already proven that he is not favorably inclined towards Afrikaans, which is another reason why his latest remarks should be opposed.”

“Here is another example of an official in a key position within a department and environment of which he has little experience. Instead of tackling the numerous crises in the field of education in Gauteng and coming up with solutions, he targets successful schools and creates division and uncertainty. Lesufi should resign and be replaced by an MEC who has a thorough knowledge of and experience in the field of education, and who does not promote an own ideological agenda at the cost of the future of learners in Gauteng,” she added.

Statement issued by Alana Bailey, deputy chief executive officer, AfriForum, 30 September 2015