More than one hundred teachers affiliated with Sadtu left their classrooms and rushed to Overvaal High School to protest against the “racist” school.
It is therefore clear that these teachers do not give a damn about what goes on in classrooms and experts also point out that this poor discipline is one of the reasons for the low pass rate, pupil pregnancies and fights in black schools.
However, it was not only the teachers who went to protest but the students also left the schools to participate in a political demonstration instead of acquiring the necessary knowledge gained at school.
In his reaction, FF Plus’s chairman, Adv. Anton Alberts, said that this kind of disruption is unacceptable. Therefore, this party submits a private member bill with the aim of prohibiting protest actions, which may cause any disruption near a school.
Adv. Alberts said that the laws that needed to be changed to achieve this goal include the National Schools Act and the Act Regulation of gatherings. This will apply to schools from preschool to secondary level.
According to adv. Alberts has been high lighted by a recent court ruling in the Western Cape High Court, which makes broader concessions for protest action. In this case, Judge Thandazwa Ndita has ruled that peaceful protests without notice to the authorities are now admissible.
Judge Ndita found the criminalization of a meeting of more than fifteen people on the grounds that no notice was given, violates the Constitution as it prevents people from exercising their fundamental constitutional right to meet peacefully and unarmed.
According to the judge, the previous regulation is not fair and justifiable in an “open democratic society based on the values of freedom, dignity and equality”.
Adv. Alberts said the judge did not take into account the rights of people who could be negatively disrupted by a protest march.
“This can cause huge disruption and open the door for vandalism and violence if a major march is held without a warning in a city or town, as authorities and law enforcement officers will not have the opportunity to prepare for it”
“The biggest disruption, however, will be for ordinary people who have to arrive at the school or workplace on time.
“It does not take into account the rights of peace loving law abiding citizens at all and the FF Plus’s proposed private-law bill is therefore of the utmost importance to protect at least school children from disruption and, in general, children’s fundamental rights as set out in the Constitution contained, “says adv. Alberts.
Read the original article in Afrikaans on Die Vryburger
South Africa Today – South Africa News
