MEC Lesufi must account for the unfair dismissal of the teacher accused of racism

13 July 2022

The Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, must account for the unfair dismissal of Anneka Smith, a teacher at Hoërskool Montana in Pretoria North. MEC Lesufi accused Smith of racism without any substantial evidence against her, and her subsequent unfair dismissal indicates that MEC Lesufi is racist.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the ruling which is in favour of Smith against the racism allegations. This must be a learning curve for MEC Lesufi not to treat teachers unfairly and misuse his authority without tangible evidence to prove any wrongdoings.

MEC Lesufi has ruined not only her career but her livelihood and that of her family socially and emotionally.

It has been 10 months since Smith was dismissed and wrongfully accused of racist comments by the Department of Education, and yesterday, the Education Labour Relations Council ruled in her favour.

Smith’s dismissal has been nothing but a personal attack by MEC Lesufi as he rejected her application to appeal her case even though the accusations against her were unfounded.

The MEC has a trend of splurging false accusations, similarly to his recent comments regarding the DA’s views on the proposed Basic Education Language Act (BELA) bill.

The DA does not condone any elements of racism but believes that no one should be falsely accused without valid evidence.

The DA will continue to monitor the progress of this case to ensure that Smith is reinstated and is compensated accordingly for the 10 months that she has been unfairly dismissed as recommended by the Education Labour Relations Council.

We will continue to fight for the rights of all our educators and learners to ensure that there is always fairness and transparency. The DA will continue to fight for the BELA Bill to be withdrawn to ensure that the school governing bodies (SGB) are not stripped of their powers to decide their school's language and admission policies.

Issued by Khume Ramulifho, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, 13 July 2022