The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) has rejected new Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube.
On Monday, Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said the DA had no interest in addressing issues faced by black teachers in the sector, adding that the union was not happy about the DA heading the department being headed by a DA member, regardless of their race.
Gwarube, party leader John Steenhuisen, Dean Macpherson and Solly Malatsi were unveiled as some of the DA members appointed as part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s seventh administration.
Steenhuisen was announced minister of agriculture, Malatsi minister of communications and digital technologies and Leon Schreiber minister of home affairs.
Last week, the union held its national executive meeting in which it reflected on the Government of National Unity (GNU) after the national and provincial elections on May 29.
“The NEC noted the National General Elections held in the month of May where the ANC received 40.18% of the mandate which has caused it to enter a Government of National Unity that included, among others, our class enemies, the Democratic Alliance. The NEC expressed disgust at the DA’s unreasonable demands for ministerial posts and accused it of applying double standards by demanding to appoint directors-general while speaking ill of cadre deployment,” Maluleke said.
On the appointment of Gwarube, Maluleke said the union was not pleased about the DA being at the helm of the Education Ministry.
“We acknowledge that the president has a prerogative to appoint whoever he wants to appoint. However, we must say that this is an affront because in the manifesto of the DA – the DA believes that Sadtu is a stumbling block to quality education. The DA has been clear in rejecting transformational policies that the Department of Basic Education wanted to implement including rejecting the Bela Bill,” he said.
Last week, Sadtu called out the DA for making “outlandish demands” on Ramaphosa before the announcement of his Cabinet.
“The DA’s Helen Zille did not waste time in demonstrating her party’s white supremacy DNA. She eloquently articulated her baasskap (boss-ship) mentality that the DA is in charge and will determine which ministries it wants, and the deputy ministries will have cabinet credentials while the rest of the deputy ministers will remain outside the Cabinet.
“The DA’s manifesto declared war against Sadtu by lamenting that Sadtu was too strong and (needed) to be dealt with. The DA demanding Basic Education Ministry has nothing to do with a commitment to the nation to ensure quality and equitable education but to destroy the organisation of teachers and their communities – Sadtu,” it said.