FF Plus condemns EFF protest action at Danie Malan School and lays blame for it at the door of Lesufi and his Department of Education

8 March 2021 

The FF Plus strongly condemns the protest action and locking of the school gates at the Danie Malan Primary School in the north of Pretoria by members of the EFF.

The EFF members are allegedly demanding that their children be enrolled at the school even though the school is already full. A few days ago, members of the EFF also protested, and demanded admission, in front of Akasia High School, of which the majority of learners is black.

The FF Plus considers these protest actions and demands for admission to be direct consequences of the fact that there are not enough schools in Pretoria North and the party will approach the Gauteng Department of Education to find out how it plans to solve the problem.

The Department, under the leadership of the MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, has been struggling to meet its infrastructure goals for quite some time now and as a result, school communities are pitted against each other. The blame for creating an environment of unrest around schools in Pretoria North must be laid at the door of Lesufi and his Department.

Although Lesufi clearly stated to the Education Committee in the Gauteng Legislature that there are indeed enough schools in the province to accommodate the total number of learners, Pretoria North is frequently experiencing problems related to placing learners at schools.

It appears to be an area that is under a lot of pressure in terms of demand and, thus, the Department must urgently address the matter so as to protect the existing schools and their communities. If the matter is not addressed soon, we may see an unfortunate escalation of conflict.

In the meantime, the management of the Danie Malan Primary School has applied for an interdict against the organiser of the EFF protest at the school. Apparently, an interdict was obtained against the very same person in the past as well because he is known for arranging protests at the school.

The FF Plus will immediately engage with Lesufi and the Department of Education to ensure that this unhealthy situation, which breeds conflict, is sorted out.

Issued by Anton Alberts, FF Plus national chairperson and MPL: Gauteng, 8 March 2021