30 August 2018
Media alert: Equal Education Western Cape #StopTheAppeal picket at Western Cape Legislature
Today, Thursday 30 August, members of Equal Education (EE) will be picketing at the Western Cape Provincial Legislature, calling on the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to #StopTheAppeal.
In July of this year, Acting Judge Nomawabo Msizi fixed the unconstitutional loopholes in the Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure. The loopholes allowed Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to indefinitely delay fulfilling her obligations to #FixOurSchools. The judgment meant that government would be required to comply with the deadlines as set out in the Norms and Standards law.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and the Education MECs, including MEC Debbie Schäfer, is appealing the judgment of the Bhisho High Court, choosing to squander precious time and money on initiating an appeal instead of rallying to improve the circumstances of learners and teachers – including ensuring the provisioning of adequate safety infrastructure, particularly important in the Western Cape.
EE members have invited MEC Schäfer, and the Chairperson of the Provincial Standing Committee on Education Basil Kivedo, to avail themselves to receive a memorandum at our picket. This is an opportunity for them to address EE members – learners from under-resourced schools – to explain the decision to appeal the school infrastructure judgment, and also to explain the steps that the WCED is taking to guarantee learners’ safety in schools across the Western Cape.
Where: Western Cape Provincial Legislature, 7 Wale Street, Cape Town CBD
Time: 4pm
For further media comment:
Nontsikelelo Dlulani (EE Western Cape Head): ntsiki@equaleducation.org.za
