Thousands of Equal Education members to march on Monday for school infrastructure regulations

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Equal Education (EE) will hold Youth Day marches on Monday, 17 June 2013, in Cape Town and Pretoria. The following day a picket will be held outside the Bhisho High Court in the Eastern Cape. EE is taking to the streets and returning to court following Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga’s failure to publish Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure (Norms and Standards) by 15 May.

 

MARCH DETAILS

 

The Cape Town march will start in Keizersgracht Street at 12h00 and proceed to Parliament.  The Pretoria march will start at City Hall on Paul Kruger Street at 12h00 and proceed to the Department of Basic Education on Struben Street. March details HERE.

 

20 BROKEN PROMISES

 

Last year EE initiated legal action against Minister Motshekga to force her to publish Norms and Standards. This followed four years of delays and twenty broken promises. She offered to settle the matter out of court and agreed to publish the school infrastructure regulations by 15 May [PDF]. However she failed to meet this deadline. EE offered the Minister a one-month extension which she refused by demanding six months [PDF].

 

On Tuesday, 11 June, Judge Dukada of the Bhisho High Court directed that EE’s court case against Minister Motshekga should be heard on an urgent basis. He ordered that the matter would be heard on 11 July. If the Minister promulgates finalised, high quality, and legally binding Norms and Standards at any time before this matter returns to court, EE would likely suspend its legal proceedings. EE is represented by the Legal Resource Centre.

 

MINISTER MOTSHEKGA REFUSES TO RECEIVE MEMORANDUM FROM LEARNERS

 

Minister Motshekga has declined EE’s request to personally accept a memorandum at either the Cape Town or Pretoria march. She has indicated she will send representatives. This is appreciated, as is the fact that Minister Motshekga is busy, and has competing demands on her time. We also know that Monday 17th is a public holiday. However, we feel it is important that the Minister personally accepts EE’s memorandum. Firstly, EE represents the largest organised youth campaign in South Africa, and it is important that the Minister acknowledges this constituency. Secondly, Minister Motshekga should accept the memorandum as a sign of personal political accountability. EE has been marching since Minister Motshekga came into office but she has never accepted an invitation to receive a memorandum.

 

EE has written to Minister Motshekga respectfully requesting a reason that she cannot attend one of the marches to accept the memorandum [PDF].

 

The memorandum is available online HERE.

 

For more information contact:

Brad Brockman (EE General Secretary) on 072 267 8489

Doron Isaacs (EE Deputy General Secretary) on 082 850 2111

Kate Wilkinson (EE Media Officer) on 082 326 5353/kate@equaleducation.org.za

Cameron McConnachie (EE legal representative at the LRC) on 083 387 8738

Julie Campbell (Cape Town march organiser) on 076 173 1635

Nombulelo Nyathela (Pretoria march organiser) on 076 900 1029