Jobs for Cash: Motshekga must appear before Parliament

22 November 2016

Tomorrow, Wednesday 23 November, the Department of Basic Education is scheduled to brief the Portfolio Committee on progress implementing the recommendations of the ‘Jobs for Cash’ report.

We call on Minister Motshekga to be there tomorrow to personally brief Parliament on her progress with implementing the recommendations. We cannot have a situation as we did on 27 May when Minister Motshekga dispatched officials to brief us on the ‘Jobs for Cash’ report.

There are two reasons why it is important for Minister Motshekga to appear before the Committee tomorrow.

Firstly, Minister Motshekga commissioned the ministerial task team. She must therefore take ownership of the report. Secondly, most of the recommendations – particularly those dealing with SADTU – will require political will to implement. Minister Motshekga needs to show us whether she has the mettle to take on her party’s great ally.

At the meeting tomorrow, we will be expecting an update on all aspects of the ‘Jobs for Cash’ report, including the status of the forensic investigation into the 38 corruption cases not yet finalised by the Ministerial Task Team.

Most importantly, we want to hear the Minister’s plans to deal with the most significant finding of the report: that SADTU has captured six out of the nine provincial Education Departments via a cadre deployment network.

Tomorrow will be a good indicator of whether Minister Motshekga is serious about dealing with SADTU corruption and power abuse.

Appearing in person will be a good start. But Minister Motshekga needs to do more than that. She needs to tell us what she will do to free our education system from SADTU’s grip, in the interests of every child and hard-working teacher in our country.

Issued by Gavin Davis, DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education, 22 November 2016