MINISTER AND TEACHER UNIONS CONDEMN SELLING OF POSTS AND COMMIT TO AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIATION

The Minister of Basic Education Mrs Angie Motshekga and teacher unions have strongly condemned the selling of posts in the education sector. The Minister met the union leaders on Friday 16 May as part of a consultative process. Next week she will meet school governing body associations to outline her plans regarding the investigation. She emphasised that the practice of selling posts, if true, would not go unpunished as it was a form of corruption and against the law.

In recent weeks there have been reports in the media alleging collusion between certain education officials and stakeholders including certain individuals in the selling of posts.

The unions represented were the National Teachers' Union (Natu), National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu), Professional Educators' Union (PEU), and the Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie (SAOU).

In the meeting the Minister announced that she would set up a Ministerial Task Team to investigate the alleged selling of posts in the education sector. The unions and the Ministry agreed that this matter would be dealt with urgently.

The task team will be an independent body and would be constituted by Public Service Commission, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, Department of Basic Education as well as external independent education experts, human resources and legal experts. The names of the members of the investigating team will be announced once the terms of reference have been finalised.

Anybody who wants to report any incidents of selling of posts will be expected to provide information to the investigators.

The terms of reference for the task team will be finalised through due legal processes. It is envisaged that the task team will be led by a retired judge or an independent education expert.

All the unions have agreed to cooperate with the investigation to root out the alleged practice and take strong action against those found to be involved.

Statement issued by the Department of Basic Education, May 18 2014

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