teacher
26 April 2006
The Gauteng MEC Motshekga would like to respond to the article on the matter
of the alleged discrimination against Ms Khanyile in the Sunday Sun on 23 April
2006."Because of her HIV/AIDS status the matter cannot go unchallenged. This
article presents a distorted image of the Gauteng Education Department as an
insensitive, uncaring and even callous public institution.
Lest we be accused of failure to accept criticism graciously, I concede from
the outset that we as a department that serves the community are subject to
public scrutiny. However, we expect that criticism should be fair and any
allegations levelled against us should be substantiated.
I, as political head of the department, have no personal reason to support
the School Governing Body (SGB) against her. On the contrary, I would be more
inclined to be supportive of her as a vulnerable woman and person living with
AIDS. To prove how seriously we view the matter, we immediately sent the
District Director, Chief Director from head office, officials from my office
and even representatives from the national Department of Education to meet her
to address her concerns.
In the interest of fairness we convened a meeting of all affected parties
and received both verbal and written accounts of events from the school and
SGB. These reports refuted her allegations. The complainant was accorded the
opportunity to present her version of the story. She refused to talk to our
officials and insisted that she would only do so in the presence of her
attorney. The matter was then left in her hands to convene that meeting. To
this day we are still waiting for her and her attorney.
Instead of coming with her lawyer she has been playing to the gallery by
contacting the media with her story. ETV is not the only news medium she has
contacted. She has tried others, after getting our version of the story,
decided not to pursue the matter. Reports from the SGB indicate that on
numerous occasions she neglected the children in her care by not reporting for
duty. The reports further state that on one occasion she claimed to have taken
medication and was therefore unable to report for duty when in fact she had
visited the Sowetan newspaper's offices. On another occasion she claimed to be
receiving counselling but it later transpired that she had gone to Jozi FM.
To prove that we are a department of a government that genuinely cares for
the people of this country, we are still waiting patiently for her to
substantiate her allegations. Until that happens I remain unconvinced that her
dismissal from her post at the school had anything to do with her HIV/AIDS
status. The onus is on her to produce evidence to the contrary to enable the
SGB to take appropriate action.
Our doors remain open to her to talk to us. We are not prepared to engage in
a dialogue with her through the media."
Thank you.
Enquiries:
Mbela Phetlhe
Tel: (011) 355 0880
Cell: 083 700 1076
Issued by: Department of Education, Gauteng Provincial Vovernment
26 April 2006
