Jobs-for-Cash: is Motshekga sitting on the forensic report?

Another jobs-for-cash scandal exposed by City Press today raises questions as to why Minister Motshekga has still not tabled the forensic report into the matter as promised.

City Press today reported that a KwaZulu-Natal teacher allegedly paid a high-ranking South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) official R1 000 per month to secure his teaching job. This follows reports last year that SADTU members were selling principal and deputy principal positions at schools for R30 000 each.

When the scandal first came to light in May 2014, Minister Motshekga announced a forensic investigation to look into it. A year later, in her Budget Speech on 6 May 2015, Minister Motshekga said that the investigation was close to completion. She said:

“National teacher unions as well as the School Governing Body Associations and individuals who are familiar with the education landscape have been interviewed. We expect the final forensic report and recommendations very soon.”

Six months have passed and the jobs-for-cash report has still not seen the light of day.

I have today written to Minister Motshekga to request an update into the progress of the jobs-for-cash investigation, and when we can expect her to table the forensic report in Parliament. The sooner the report is tabled, the sooner we can take action against the teachers and officials involved in this racket. 

Ensuring quality teaching at every school is key to redressing the historical imbalances in our education system. We must root out any practice that compromises the quality of teaching in our schools.

Issued by Gavin Davis, DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education, 1 November 2015