SADTU lawlessness: DA calls on Minister to rein in riotous teachers

Today, I shall be calling on the chairperson of the portfolio committee on basic education to invite the Minister, Angie Motshekga, to meet with the committee so that we can discuss how she and her department intend dealing with the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) continued campaign of intransigence and disregard for our learners.

We can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the disruptive behaviour of this union and its members. Yesterday, striking members of the South African Teachers Union (SADTU) ignored appeals made by the Minister to all teacher unions to conduct themselves in a responsible, disciplined and law abiding manner during the current strike.

Reports are that a mob of approximately 120 members, wearing red SADTU shirts, created havoc at seven schools in the Vaal Triangle in Gauteng. Armed with banners displaying threats of a full blown strike and demands for a 10% salary increase and housing subsidy of R 1 600 per month, they deployed to several schools, after meeting at Sebokeng College in Vanderbijlpark.

At a secondary school in Vereeniging they reportedly threw stones through classroom windows whilst learners were busy with their classes; they allegedly damaged the vehicles of staff members and allegedly assaulted certain teachers, some of whom had to receive medical treatment afterwards.

After a DA councillor of the Emfuleni municipality intervened by calling the police to restore law and order, parents rushed to schools to fetch their children. The district office advised and encouraged the targetted schools to evacuate their classrooms and to mainly focus on the safety of learners.

The group then continued on their protest march and went back to Vanderbijlpark, where they damaged the entrance gate of a primary school, threatened the headmistress and demanded that teachers who were at school should leave their classrooms and take part in the strike.

Since February this year, the DA has constantly called on the minister to put her foot down with SADTU. Thus far, our requests have been ignored and unfortunately the price of that inaction is being paid by the children of South Africa. Our learners are being deprived of their constitutional right to an education and it is only just that the Minister herself appear before he committee and explain precisely what action is going to be taken to prevent such behaviour from SADTU members in the future. SADTU has demonstrated that it is not acting in good faith and we can no longer afford to deal with each new crisis on a sporadic and haphazard basis.

Statement issued by Dr. Junita Kloppers-Lourens, MP, Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister of Basic Education, August 17 2010

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