ANC rebukes DA for inappropriate comments
The ANC says the self-destructing DA has once again stooped to a new low by trying to influence and pre-empt a court case even before it started with its latest pathetic media statement on the start of the judicial review tomorrow in the Western Cape High Court.
ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman says these tactics of deception and deflection is typical of the right-wing of the DA led by old order National Party outsiders like DA Western Cape leader Dr Ivan Meyer. It has scant regard for the Rule of Law and our courts, while Meyer holds the legislature and its rules (amongst others on how to deal with cases before our courts) in contempt. The ANC rejects the DA's statement in full.
Meyer pre-empts the court case just as his national leader did in an act of political gamesmanship when she also tried to interfere or influence the court on the outcome of the initial interdict and the court severely reprimanded her for that.
Fransman says: "Meyer willingly leads the DA in the Western Cape in its war against poor black people as they target only black (coloured and African) schools. Most of them are Afrikaans schools in rural areas and the rest on the Cape Flats, thus proving the DA only punishes those communities for not voting for them.
"There are many more struggling white schools in the province, but why does only black schools have to face the chop affecting mostly coloured learners? The DA clearly abuse state power to attain petty party political objectives to purge what it calls ‘education refugees' from the province!"
Meyer indulges in libellous character assassination, demonization and vilification of individuals because his party knows it has lost every battle so far against the communities.
The ANC and other parties or institutions unapologetically supports the Save Our School (SOS) community campaign for the review of a draconian political intrusion. Even DA public representatives supported the campaign at hearings where they publicly argued against the political ill-considered and unwise crusade against the poor to close these schools down.
"Meyer and the DA must be ashamed of even comparing the closure or schools in the Western Cape to the closure or old Bantustan and mud schools in other provinces. None of these closed down schools in the Western Cape are to be replaced with new schools as they are mostly due in areas with higher populations. Thus the DA is peddling another untruth!
"The real hypocrisy is that by the DA stating in its policy document on education it would assist struggling schools in various ways, but when they are not white, they are closed down!
"Perhaps it is time for the DA to self-examine as it failed miserably to integrate unviable small town former ‘model C' schools with overcrowded neighbouring schools in the same area!" Fransman added
Meyer is invited to court to come and listen to the real arguments. Perhaps he could learn something the pathetic DA politics and then understand what his party is really up to!
The ANC says the arguments against the unilateral closure of these poor schools will be put before the court. Meyer will be able to see for himself how the Western Cape is in contrast to the rest of the country where there are negotiated provision plans and all affected people proceed together in improving conditions - not penalise the poor because they are poor!
The ANC calls on communities to come out in support of the review process in the court. Fransman will himself be at the court tomorrow at 9 am.
Statement issued by ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman, June 9 2013
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