DA rejects Motshekga’s appointment of dubious DBE D-G

13 August 2013

The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes with concern the appointment of a Director-General (D-G) of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) by the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga. 

While this priority department has been without a permanent head for over a year, we reject her appointment of Mr Mathanzima Mweli to this position due to his checkered track record in South Africa’s education management (see SowetanLive report).

In the face of such a track record I will request that Minister Motshekga be summoned to Parliament to brief the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education as to the rationality of such an appointment.

This comes after Minister Motshekga announced, this afternoon, that Mr Mweli has been appointed to the position of the chief administrator of her department.

Chief of our concerns include the following:

Mr Mweli faces charges of corruption in North West province, related to alleged tender fraud during his tenure as the Head of the Education Department in that province, and is currently out on R500 000 bail;

Mr Mweli was also a provincial DBE official of the North West which has, by far, the highest learner dropout rate, with 61% of learners dropping out of school before they reach matric : their real pass rate in North West last year was 32% - better only than the dysfunctional Eastern Cape; and

Mr Mweli was the Minister's administrator in both the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, with very little, if any, positive effect.

The DBE’s D-G, as the chief administrator and accounting officer of the department, is responsible for managing critical projects to ensure South Africa’s learners receive the best basic education possible as is their constitutional right. Mr Mweli, while still being accused, cannot be entrusted to fulfil this mandate free from the dark cloud of financial malfeasance and self-interest.

The fact is that the education space is still highly unequal, and that the quality of education in the vast majority of our schools is substandard. Our schools are simply not succeeding in equipping our young people for adult life. SADTU is allowed to run education in Limpopo, the Eastern Cape and KZN, with very little accountability for their massively negative impact on education.

We need an appointee that has the will to address these concerns and returning its operational mandate back to the department.

The DA believes that each and every South African must be given the chance to succeed in life. 

The DA will continue to fight for the quality education that all our children deserve for their sake and for the future success of our country.

Statement issued by Annette Lovemore MP, DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education, August 13 2015