LEBOGANG SEALE
THE SA Democratic Teachers Union’s Gauteng Central region has threatened a complete shutdown of all schools unless the suspension of their leader Moss Senye is lifted.
The threats came less than two hours after the union’s mother body in Gauteng appealed for the restoration of schooling in troubled institutions.
Gauteng Central is the biggest region in the province and boasts about 1 500 schools in 10 branches including Soweto, Alexandra and Joburg.
“We are of the view that the chairman (Senye) has been unfairly targeted by the Gauteng Department of Education. If you take Moss down, you must take us all down! We are giving them two weeks to sober up to avoid a total shutdown,” said Ronald Nyathi, the union’s regional general secretary.
He was addressing more than 1 000 teachers during the union’s mass meeting at Regina Mundi Church in Rockville yesterday.
Senye and another teacher, Ofentse Phehle, were suspended in February for allegedly punching and kicking a 17-year-old Grade 11 pupil at Meadowlands High School.
Their case will resume at the Protea Magistrate’s Court on October 5.
Before the meeting, those attending had chanted “Long live the chairman!”, “Siyamthanda uMoss” (We love Moss) and “Forward with socialism” in the church hall.
Nyathi berated the provincial education authorities for interdicting Senye and the school governing body at Meadowlands High from entering the school premises.
He also lashed out at the department for its statement this week that it was considering declaring Senye medically unfit to continue in his position, after he had missed several internal disciplinary hearings due to ill health.
“If it is that Moss is too ill to go back, it should be his prerogative to decide that – not the department’s,” Nyathi said.
Earlier, Sadtu’s provincial secretary, Tseliso Ledimo, urged pupils and parents at Meadowlands High and Cosmo City 1 Secondary schools to desist from engaging in actions that disrupt learning and teaching.
“The union is highly disappointed by learners (at Meadowlands High) who abandoned classes and joined the demonstrations at Luthuli House in support of the ANCYL comrade, Julius Malema. We are also highly concerned about the disruption of schooling at Cosmo City,” said Ledimo.
Pupils at Cosmo City 1 Secondary School boycotted classes last week, demanding that their principal, Wilhelmina Matsebatlela, leave the school, claiming she was corrupt and incompetent.
Ledimo urged the provincial education authorities to resolve the ongoing conflict at the two schools.