North West MEC for Education, Sello Lehari, must stop his cheap politicking by using the situations at Schweizer-Reneke Primary School and Stilfontein High School and the DA would do well to play open cards with the public about their share in the Schweizer-Reneke debacle.
Lehari is pouring petrol on the fire by refusing to disclose the report regarding Schweizer-Reneke Primary School and by constantly insinuating that more suspensions may follow due to supposed racism, this is extremely detrimental to racial relations in South Africa.
The FF Plus is challenging Lehari to disclose his report at once in order to provide the school’s staff with certainty regarding their immediate future and so that they can plan counteractions, if need be.
Concerning the DA, the party is being hypocritical in trying to backtrack and cover up its share in the matter. The DA refuses to repudiate and discipline its provincial youth leader, Luyolo Mphithi, for his actions and is trying to create the impression that he only went to the school in an attempt to determine the truth of the matter.
The truth, however, is that he wasted no time in voicing his opinion on the matter. It was followed by a statement from the DA’s provincial leader, Joe McGluwa, who did not hesitate to label and condemn the incident as racism.
The DA now says that they only went to the school to check the facts, but still they immediately labelled it as racism and that means that the DA, like the ANC, is using the situation for cheap politicking at the expense of teachers and learners.
The FF Plus believes that children of all races who only just started their schooling should be shielded from the trauma of such a race debacle.
These events also highlight the necessity of mother tongue education, something that the FF Plus is fighting for, so that communication, irrespective of race, will be the main criterium in the educational environment.
To address this problem, the FF Plus tabled a private member’s bill last year to amend the Regulation of Gatherings Act to declare any march or protest action that takes place within 500m from a school or any other institution where minors are present illegal.
As soon as Parliament convenes this year, the FF Plus’s bill will be discussed by Parliament Police Committee. The leader of the FF Plus, Dr Pieter Groenewald will join Adv Anton Alberts, chairperson of the FF Plus, to advocate why the bill should be passed as legislation.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Dr Pieter Groenewald on FF Plus
South Africa Today – South Africa News
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