EFF statement on reckless reopening of schools

29 April 2020

The EFF condemns the reckless and homicidal proposal to reopen schools by the Basic Education Department. It is a plan that will send school children, teachers, and workers to early graves and compromise the future of this country indefinitely.

As things stand, South Africa stands on 4 996 positive COVID-19 cases and 93 confirmed deaths due to the virus. The virus is present in suburbs, townships, and in rural areas.

Since the briefing addressed by epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist Dr. Salim Abdool Karim, there has been a drastic increase in infections and deaths. Dr. Karim, a specialist, brought in by the government on an advisory role and to take South African's into confidence, advised that should there not be a decline in the increase of infections by the end of April 2020, a continued lockdown would be advisable. The advice of this medical expert is being undermined in the interests of profit, and senseless calls for an easing of the lockdown.

It must be noted that the reopening of schools and many other sectors is a result of the government's spineless concession to capital and big business. Logic follows that if the economy is opened, the transport industry must be operational, manufacturing must be opened, staffing of centres that provide essential services must be increased, and the populous will participate in large scale interaction. Workers are the heart of the economy; these workers are mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers who all come from homes that have children. All of these workers, as a result of exposure, will bring the virus into their homes and infect their children, their children will then go to school and infect each other.

South Africa is yet to reach its peak of infections and deaths, but the move to open schools that directly linked to the move to open the economy will lead to a state engineered massacre. None of the decisions are based on science or the appreciation of human life.

Furthermore, the poor levels of sanitation and infrastructure in South African schools is not a secret. Many schools in our country do not have running water, use pit latrines, are overcrowded, and have limited resources in the form of textbooks and stationery. How will social distancing and hygiene be practiced in such conditions? It is ridiculous to think that the government will resolve these infrastructure problems in two weeks when we have seen children drown in pit toilets and study under trees for decades.

Over 400 schools have been burnt, looted and vandalized across the country since the lockdown commenced, where will the leamers of these schools go when their schools are yet to be refurbished?

The EFF calls for sanity to prevail and for the decision to open schools and risk the lives of children to be reconsidered. We further reiterate our position that to ease lockdown conditions without medical and scientific basis is a recipe for disaster.

The economy, jobs, industry, and schooling can be recovered, the lives of workers, teachers, and children cannot. The Minister of Basic Education and the President must consider this before risking the lives of innocent children.

Issued by Vuyani Pambo, National Spokesperson, EFF, 29 April 2020