SADTU Protest March

[LazyLion]

Striking SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) members were gathering in an open space in Marabastad, on the outskirts of the Pretoria CBD, on Wednesday morning.

More than 20 buses pulled into the old Putco bus depot, where they dropped off striking teachers from various provinces.

Police officers remained on alert while protesters picketed in groups, singing songs against Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.

"We put Angie into power. While in power, she blundered her reign, therefore she must voertsek," they sang in Zulu.

Sadtu said it expected close to 25,000 of its members to take part in marches to the Union Buildings in Pretoria and to Parliament in Cape Town.

On Monday Motshekga and Sadtu failed to agree whether the marches were legal. The education department said teachers who joined the protests would face disciplinary action and that the no-work-no-pay rule would apply.


Source : Sapa /mom/tk/clh/th
Date : 24 Apr 2013 11:52

 

[LazyLion]

Cops Watch Protestors

More than 20 police vehicles were deployed to an open space in Marabastad, on the outskirts of Pretoria, on Wednesday ahead of a planned Sadtu march to the Union Buildings.

Police officers stood next to the cars. Some of them held documents, while others conversed.

Two Nyalas, with flashing lights, arrived at the scene shortly before 9am.

The police were joined by a smaller group of Tshwane metro police officers.

Three ambulances and other emergency services vehicles were also on the scene.

Members of the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) braved cold weather to converge at the old Putco depot in Marabastad.

They are taking part in a national strike organised by the disgruntled union.

Four buses had delivered protesters to an open space between the Bloed and Struben streets by 10am.

A public address system was set up in a truck next to the buses.

To stave off the morning cold, some police and protesters made a quick detour to buy coffee.

Sadtu expected close to 25,000 of its members to take part in marches to the Union Buildings, in Pretoria, and to Parliament, in Cape Town on Wednesday.

"The marches are meant to increase the pressure on Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her director general Bobby Soobrayan to resign from their... positions, in defence of collective bargaining and promotion of quality public education," Sadtu said in a statement.

Congress of SA Trade Unions president Sidumo Dlamini would lead the march in Pretoria, and his second deputy Zingiswa Losi the march in Cape Town.

On Monday, the basic education department and Sadtu failed to agree whether the marches were legal.

In Pretoria, the marchers are expected to proceed along Cowie, Struben, and Nelson Mandela Streets to the Union Buildings.

In Cape Town, the marchers would gather at 10.30am in Keizergracht and move along Darling, Adderley, Spin, and Plein Streets to Parliament.

Sadtu members have been on a national go-slow since pupils returned from the Easter holiday.

The department of basic education said teachers who joined the protest march would face disciplinary action and that the rule of no work, no pay would apply.


Source : Sapa /jm/tk/clh
Date : 24 Apr 2013 09:53

 

[LazyLion]

Gathering for Cape Town Protest

Hundreds of Sadtu members gathered in Keizergracht at the start of a march to Parliament in Cape Town around 11am on Wednesday.

The SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) march, aimed at forcing Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her director general Bobby Soobrayan to resign from their posts, was meant to start at 10.30am.

The union said on Tuesday that close to 25,000 members were expected to take part in the national marches in Pretoria and Cape Town.

Protesters clad in red T-shirts sang and danced in the Cape Town morning fog. They gathered behind a large white banner, reading: "SADTU WCAPE" in red lettering.

Some protesters waved placards. One read: "Appoint all the temporary educators and vacant substantive posts", and another: "Away with declaring education an essential service".

Cape Town metro police kept watch. An officer filmed the protest. Police blocked roads near the march route.

There was a false start to the march when the truck leading the protesters moved about 50 metres, then came to a halt. A man with a loudhailer announced from the back of the truck the march would be slightly delayed.

"We are delayed for one simple reason: our leaders could not land at Cape Town airport because it was misty," he said.

Congress of SA Trade Unions deputy president Zingiswa Losi was meant to lead the Cape Town march.

Sadtu said on Tuesday the marches were also in defence of collective bargaining and to promote quality public education.

The department of basic education said on Tuesday that teachers who participated in the march would face disciplinary procedures, and that the no-work, no-pay principle would be enforced.

One of the Cape Town marchers wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Every child needs a teacher".

The marchers are expected to hand over a memorandum at 1pm. It was not clear by whom it would be received.

From its starting point at Keizergracht, the march will proceed along Darling, Adderley, Spin, and Plein streets to Parliament.

On Wednesday basic education department spokesman Panyaza Lesufi said in a statement there had been minimal disruptions to schooling, despite the union's stay-away.

"The Sadtu strike has not had a major impact in most parts of the country today as teaching and learning is taking place."

Initial reports indicated that schools in the North West were the most affected, with 224 teachers reported absent and the gates to seven schools locked.

"In Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape no reports of disruptions had been reported earlier this morning," Lesufi said.


Source : Sapa /rod/mjs/tk/clh/th
Date : 24 Apr 2013 12:03

 

[LazyLion]

Apartheid Lingers in Education System: COSATU

Structural deficiencies in the South African education system need to be addressed urgently, Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini said on Wednesday.

He told journalists at a Sadtu protest in Pretoria the labour federation supported calls for Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her director general Bobby Soobrayan to resign.

"The protest is out of concern by Sadtu that our education in this country needs a lot of fixing. There is no time for *****-footing. We have to deal with the mud schools in the rural areas and the low wages.

"We have to deal with the system. It is a structural apartheid system that still exists in our education system. It has denigrated the African child to the periphery," he said.

The unions hoped government would "get to its knees and speak to Sadtu".

Regarding criticism over the possible disruption of classes due to the protest, Dlamini said the strike was for pupils.

"This is a comprehensive strategy by the teachers; it is about the child. The system needs to be fixed for the benefit of the children of this country.

"The minister has gone on a crusade to say the protest is illegal instead of responding to issues. We hear the minister crying, saying Sadtu is sabotaging. What sabotage?" Dlamini asked.

The minister should "play along" in defence of collective bargaining instead of opposing it.

Asked what the unions would do if Motshekga and Soobrayan did not resign, Dlamini said the strikes would be intensified.

"The plan is clear; you will hear strikes. We need to focus on issues of transformation in the public service and the minister is delaying us. Let her be warned, and come back to the table about the serious issues. [What she is doing] is not helpful," Dlamini said.

At midday, hundreds of teachers left the open space in Marabastad to make their way to the Union Buildings.

They were being addressed through a public address system set up on a truck.

Sadtu said it expected close to 25,000 of its members to take part in marches to the Union Buildings in Pretoria and to Parliament in Cape Town on Wednesday.

"The marches are meant to increase the pressure on... Motshekga and... Soobrayan to resign from their... positions, in defence of collective bargaining and promotion of quality public education," Sadtu said in a statement.

On Monday, the basic education department and Sadtu failed to agree whether the marches were legal.

Sadtu members have been on a national go-slow since pupils returned from the Easter holiday.

The department said teachers who joined the protest march would face disciplinary action and the no-work, no-pay rule would apply.


Source : Sapa /jm/tk/th/jk
Date : 24 Apr 2013 12:41

 

[LazyLion]

Pretoria March Starts

Marchers were making their way to the Union Buildings, Pretoria, on Wednesday, in a protest intended to force Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to resign.

At least 3000 striking SA Democratic Teachers' Union members gathered in an open space in Marabastad, on the outskirts of the CBD, earlier in the day.

Protesters from various provinces were bused to Pretoria to participate.

Escorted by the police, they stopped briefly at the basic education department's offices before proceeding to the Union Buildings, where they were expected to hand a memorandum to government officials.

Sadtu said earlier it expected about 25,000 of its members to take part in the Pretoria march and a similar march to Parliament, in Cape Town. In Pretoria protesters arrived in over 20 buses.

The union is calling for the resignations of Motshekga and her director general Bobby Soobrayan.

On Monday the education department said teachers who joined the protests would face disciplinary action and that the no-work, no-pay principle would apply.


Source : Sapa /mom/jk/clh/th
Date : 24 Apr 2013 13:55

 

[LazyLion]

Police Struggle to Control Protestors

Police struggled to control thousands of striking teachers' union members at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday.

Protesters pushed through police barriers in an attempt to enter the buildings, but to no avail. Its security doors remained closed.

Calling for the resignations of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her director general Bobby Soobrayan, protesters sang songs calling for them to "voertsek [scram]" and "hamba [go]".

They also wielded placards reading: "Angie doesn't know anything", and "Away with declaring education an essential service".

One protester shouted: "This can be another Marikana. We don't care."

While tourists visiting the Union Buildings used cameras and cellphones to photograph the protest, the vendors outside packed up their wares.

A police helicopter hovered over the crowd.

The protesters soon moved away from the buildings and back to the lawns.

Earlier, Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Sidumo Dlamini said structural deficiencies in the South African education system had to be urgently addressed.

Cosatu supported the calls for the resignations of Motshekga and Soobrayan, he told reporters earlier.

"The protest is out of concern by Sadtu that our education in this country needs a lot of fixing," said Dlamini.

"There is no time for *****-footing. We have to deal with the mud schools in the rural areas and the low wages.

"We have to deal with the system. It is a structural apartheid system that still exists in our education system. It has denigrated the African child to the periphery," he said.

Cosatu hoped government would "get to its knees and speak to Sadtu".

Sadtu expected about 25,000 of its members to take part in the Pretoria march and another to Parliament, in Cape Town on Wednesday.

"The marches are meant to increase the pressure on... Motshekga and... Soobrayan to resign from their... positions, in defence of collective bargaining and promotion of quality public education," Sadtu said in a statement.

Sadtu members have been on a national go-slow since pupils returned from the Easter holiday.

The department said teachers who joined the protest march would face disciplinary action and that the no-work, no-pay rule would apply.


Source : Sapa /mom/jm/fg/clh/jk
Date : 24 Apr 2013 14:35

 

[BigAl-sa]

Police struggled to control thousands of striking teachers' union members at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday.

I drove past the union buildings (down Eastwood) at around 13:15 and saw absolutely nothing. Traffic flowing normally in Eastwood, Church and Schoeman Sts.

 

[LazyLion]

COSATU Threatens to Join Teachers in Protest

f calls by protesting SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) members are not heeded, Cosatu members will join them on the streets, its Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich vowed on Wednesday.

"If the government does not listen to the voices of the teachers today, we want to assure them that all of the members in [the Congress of SA Trade Unions] Cosatu, all the 260,000 members in the Western Cape, will come and join you to make sure that we fix the problems in education," he said.

Ehrenreich was addressing close to 2000 protesters from the back of a truck at the main gates of the parliamentary complex in Cape Town.

Cosatu supported them and their union "without reservation", he said.

Sadtu has prepared a memorandum containing a series of demands, which it plans to deliver to the government.

Ehrenreich said if there was no response to this, "the next time you are on the streets, all of Cosatu will be with you".

He also called for a more equitable distribution of resources among Western Cape schools.

"Teaching resources in schools and facilities on the Cape Flats are half those of the schools in the shadow of Table Mountain," he said.

"The township schools have double the amount of pupils as the fancy schools, and the teachers there must do double the amount of work as those at schools in the shadow of Table Mountain."

Ehrenreich also warned Western Cape education MEC Donald Grant over attempts to close schools in the province.

"To Donald Grant, we say... if he dares continue with the closure of schools, we will come to [the provincial legislature building in] Wale Street and we will take him out of those offices, because an attack on our children is an attack on all of us."

Sadtu is calling for, among other things, the resignations of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her director general Bobby Soobrayan.

The memorandum also calls for better school facilities, smaller class sizes, and improved safety at schools.

In the document, Sadtu gives the government 21 days to respond to its demands.


Source : Sapa /rod/fg/jk/clh
Date : 24 Apr 2013 14:50

 

[LazyLion]

Protestors Disperse

Protesting teachers returned to their buses after delivering a memorandum of grievances at the Union Buildings, in Pretoria, on Wednesday.

A presidency official -- who was not named -- received the document from leaders of the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu).

The official was accompanied by several police officers as she made her way to the protesters' truck, parked near the lawns.

Police struggled to control the striking union members when they arrived at the Union Buildings from Marabastad, on the outskirts of the city. They were prevented from getting near the buildings.

Calling for the resignations of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her director general Bobby Soobrayan, protesters sang songs calling for them to "voertsek [scram]" and "hamba [go]".

They displayed placards reading: "Angie doesn't know anything", and "Away with declaring education an essential service".

One protester shouted: "This can be another Marikana. We don't care."

While tourists visiting the Union Buildings used cameras and cellphones to photograph the protest, vendors outside packed up their wares. A police helicopter hovered overhead.

The protesters soon moved away from the buildings and back to the lawns where Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Sidumo Dlamini spoke to them.

He cautioned Motshekga not to take action against protesting teachers.

"We are calling for the minister not to even think of that (punishment). There is fire already, don't pour oil on the fire.

"What we want to see tomorrow is an engagement with Sadtu saying: 'how do we fix the problems?' As the leadership of Cosatu we are saying to you your federation is one federation."

He told protesters the union federation was undergoing "a painful phase".

"Please do not listen, do not even want to hear by reading what the newspapers are saying about your Cosatu. I want to assure you that it is not about individuals," he said.

Sadtu members have been on a national go-slow since pupils returned from the Easter holidays.

The department said teachers who joined the protest march would face disciplinary action and that the no-work, no-pay rule would apply.


Source : Sapa /jm/hdw/ks/th
Date : 24 Apr 2013 16:35

 

[LazyLion]

Hands Off Motshekga: ANCWL

The ANCWL came out in support of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Thursday following Sadtu's call for her and her director general Bobby Soobrayan to resign.

"She [Motshekga] has time and again shown her dedication and determination to see the children of South Africa receive a decent education," African National Congress Women's League spokeswoman Troy Martens said in a statement.

Motshekga is currently the leader of the league.

"[We are] 100 percent behind our president in her role as minister of basic education... the actions of [the SA Democratic Teachers' Union] are extremely disappointing and it is clear they do not take the education of our children seriously.

"It is evident their priority is not to be in the classroom with our children," Martens said.

On Wednesday, the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) supported teachers' union's demands during protest marches to the Union Buildings in Pretoria and Parliament in Cape Town.

"If the government does not listen to the voices of the teachers today [Wednesday], we want to assure them that all of the members in Cosatu... will come and join you to make sure that we fix the problems in education," Cosatu Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich said.

In Pretoria, thousands of teachers were bussed in from various provinces to take part in the march.

Protesters sang songs calling for Motshekga and Soobrayan to "voertsek [scram]" and "hamba [go]".

They also wielded placards reading: "Angie doesn't know anything", and "Away with declaring education an essential service".

The department said teachers who joined the protest marches would face disciplinary action and that the no-work, no-pay rule would apply.

Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini cautioned Motshekga against the move.

"We are calling for the minister not to even think of that [punishment]. There is fire already, don't pour oil on the fire," he said in Pretoria.


Source : Sapa /mom/jk/mjs
Date : 25 Apr 2013 12:45