DA calls for Eastern Cape education crisis talks to be reconvened

It is clear from the apparently fruitless meeting held this weekend between President Jacob Zuma, Minister of Education Angie Motshekga and the Eastern Cape Education Department, that the President views the Eastern Cape education crisis as an internal political matter to be remedied "in-house".

This meeting was held at the ANC provincial headquarters in King William's Town, and was attended by ANC officials. However, some key members of the national government-appointed intervention team were not present. The President's political approach to resolving this standoff undermines the clear parameters for intervention by national government in a provincial administration, as set out in Section 100 of the Constitution.

Despite the national government initiating yet another provincial intervention strategy six months ago to rescue the dysfunctional Eastern Cape Education Department, tensions between the national intervention team and the provincial education department continue to manifest themselves as a "turf war" over the enormous potential patronage benefits of running a department with such an enormous budget

The Eastern Cape education crisis is not a political matter that should be dealt with internally by the ANC. It is an issue which impacts on the education of hundreds of thousands of learners. The poor administration and weak management of the provincial education department has led to problems such as poorly implemented school feeding programmes, a lack of textbooks and stationery and the on and off provision of school transport.

As such, the impasse should be solved by government and not the ANC. Politicising the issue can only complicate it further.

I will be submitting parliamentary questions to President Zuma and Minister Motshekga to find out why this matter is being politicized in this way and why it is taking so long to resolve the impasse.

I will also today write to the President to request that he convene a follow up meeting with Minister Motshekga, Eastern Cape Premier Noxolo Kiviet, the national government-appointed intervention team and Eastern Cape Education Department officials. The purpose of this meeting must be to ensure that consensus is reached on outstanding matters, such as the administration of the province's infrastructure grant, the disdain shown for the national government intervention by senior provincial education department officials, and the unambiguous appointment of an accounting officer to whom the head of the provincial education department and his staff would have to report.

President Zuma's Presidency has been characterized by indecision and a tendency to place political considerations above all else. We cannot allow these idiosyncrasies to rob the children of the Eastern Cape of the education they deserve. 

Statement issued by Athol Trollip MP, DA Parliamentary Leader, September 6 2011

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