Sadtu-affiliated teachers joined a march in large numbers, demanding an end to government austerity measures.
Image: Rapula Moatshe/ Independent Newspapers
Teachers affiliated to the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) took to the street on Wednesday, demanding the scrapping of government-imposed austerity measures, which they claim are crippling the education sector and driving teachers to resign due to excessive workloads.
Union members marched to the Department of Basic Education and National Treasury, delivering their memorandum of demands under heavy police security.
Sadtu's general secretary, Dr Mugwena Maluleke, said that austerity measures have severely harmed the education system, driving teachers out.
“We have seen excessive workloads which is killer number one for our teachers. They are resigning. They are leaving the profession because of workload and classes that are overcrowded every day because the department does not have the money due to the austerity measures by the Treasury,” he said.
He urged the government to halt austerity measures on education, emphasising that education should be viewed as an investment rather than a cost.
“We need to be able to build our country and the economy and we rely on education to do that and so you cannot therefore treat education as an expense. We are saying the Treasury must stop new liberal policies that are forcing schools to work without resources,” he said.
He pointed out that many schools suffer from dilapidated infrastructure, with learners often forced to study in classrooms with broken windows.
“These are our children and they have to be treated with respect and dignity. And we are saying to the Treasury you cannot implement the VAT increase because there is tax evasion in this country,” he said.
He also advocated for a wealth tax, stating that "people are very rich in this country," implying that taxing the wealthy could generate revenue for essential public services like education.
Maluleke called on the Department of Basic Education to protect teachers from violence and extortion, specifically highlighting the Western Cape where teachers are being extorted for money, alleging the department is not taking sufficient action.
The union also opposed teacher retrenchments, warning it could harm the economy.
“You are going to destroy our social stability and political stability because education is our social vaccine,” he said.
The union issued a 21-day ultimatum to the relevant departments to address their concerns, warning that failure to comply would lead to a strike.
Basic Education deputy director-general, Dr Granville Whittle, who received the memorandum, assured the union that the department would respond within the 21-day timeframe.
Cosatu president, Zingiswa Losi, stated that the issues raised by Sadtu are directly linked to the historical budget cuts.
“The struggle that Sadtu is pursuing is a struggle that we had during our times when we were still students, the issues of teacher-pupil ratio. You cannot have at this time classrooms that are more populated with children particularly with regard to our own township schools,” she said.
Losi argued that austerity measures contradict efforts to improve poor school infrastructure, saying the government cannot fix the problem by cutting funding.
“You would know that rural school children are still dying in latrine toilets. You have schools that have broken windows and toilets are not working. No conducive environment for teachers,” she said.
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za
