DA's CLOSURE OF SCHOOLS IS A GHOST RESURRECTION OF HENDRIK VERWOED'S BANTU EDUCATION IDEAS!
July 10, 2012
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) calls on the Minister of Basic Education Comrade Angie Motshekga to intervene on the proposed closure of twenty seven (27) schools, mainly affecting Black African working class areas, as propagated by (un) Democratic Alliance led administration in the Western Cape.
We view this ill-conceived and racist decision by the DA as a ghostly resurrection of Hendrik Verwoerd's Bantu education ideas of depriving a Black African child quality education. The closure of the schools proves that the DA is the main custodian and chief proponent of the old apartheid policies in order to retain and reproduce apartheid past inequalities and thus relegating Africans as cheap labourers to sustain and protect the apartheid Whites privileges and ill-gotten wealth.
We are disturbed by the loud silence of the Minister of Basic Education on this matter. We strongly believe that Basic Education is the competence of the national government, particularly the Ministry of Basic Education. The provincial governments or departments have no authority to enforce decisions that are not consistent with the overall national government, particularly the Ministry of Basic Education, priorities and plans.
If truth be told, South Africa is not a federal State nor has Bantustan style puppets governments. Our South Africa is a unitary and sovereign state. What the DA decision seeks to do is to impose federalism through education's back-door. The 1994 democratic breakthrough liberated the youth of our country from the apartheid racialised, undemocratic, segregated and sexist education system which was imposed on the Black majority by the DA's forefathers.
It is on this basis that NUMSA calls for a complete review of the continued existence of Provincial Legislatures in our country because some anti-working class policies have been championed by some provinces which can only serve to further derail the National Democratic Revolution (NDR).
We call on COSATU, as a shield and spear of the organised section of the working class to mobilise the unemployed, workers, youth, educators, community based organisations, non-governmental organisations, church formations and all our communities to march against this decision of the DA. We strongly believe that through mass mobilisation as an important tool of struggle it will force the DA to concede to popular demands and reverse its decision to close the twenty seven schools.
We support the call made by our allies, the SA Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), that the MEC of Education Mr Grant to be dismissed with immediate effect. Our support for his dismissal is informed by the fact that his plans or ideas are littered and poisoned with Verwoerd (ian) ideas, which they are threat to our endeavour of building a truly non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.
Statement issued by Vuyo Lufele, NUMSA Western Cape Regional Secretary, July 10 2012
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