Destruction of schools is a disgrace
The Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga is appalled that another school has been torched, this time in the North West province.
Six classrooms at Setilo Secondary school at Mareetsane Village near Mafikeng were burnt down on Thursday, 28 July 2016, due to alleged political violence in the area.
This was after a mob disrupted lessons at the school on Tuesday. Learners and teachers were unable to continue with teaching and learning due to the disruptions and fears for the safety of learners and teachers. Three classrooms belonging to Grade 12 and three belonging to Grade 11 were burnt down.
The wanton destruction of school property will not be tolerated and Minister Motshekga has called upon law enforcement agencies to act swiftly to ensure those responsible are brought to book.
The Humans Rights commission recently held hearings looking into the effect community protests have on the right to basic education as enshrined in the Constitution, once the findings of those hearings have been made public the Minister plans to approach Parliament’s law makers to ensure that the destruction and disruption of schools is a serious crime that is punishable with a severe sentence.
“The act of destroying a school is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable. Not only are these criminals damaging State property worth millions of Rands that the tax payer will have to fund, but they are holding the lives of these learners to ransom and putting the future of our children in jeopardy.
We only need to look at how the violence experienced in Vuwani has impacted the learners there and it is yet to be seem if they will recover from the time and resources lost,” said Minister Motshekga.
“We could have lawyers, doctors or engineers among these learners and now their chances of getting the marks they need to transform their lives could be scuppered by the unacceptable, selfish actions of these criminals,” said the Minister.
She calls on the parents of these children and communities around the country to protect schools at all cost and ensure that schools are not places of protest. The community needs to work with police to identify the criminals.
The South African Schools Act makes provision that no political activity takes place at schools during school hours to ensure that our children are protected from possible political disputes that may occur, as has allegedly happened in the North West.
As the elections draw near and political tensions are at a crescendo we need to ensure that our schools are protected from any form of violence that may occur. As we end off Nelson Mandela month Minister Motshekga has urged us not to forget what our late President taught us:
“There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children” - Nelson Mandela.
“History will judge us harshly if we continue to use our children as bargaining chips in our community struggles.” Said Minister Motshekga
Enquiries:
Elijah Mhlanga
Cell: 083 580 8275
Troy Martens
Cell: 079 899 3070
