Pretoria - Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has refuted allegations that she is targeting teacher union Sadtu following a preliminary report on the “jobs for cash” saga.
This after Sadtu's general secretary, Mugwena Maluleke, reportedly accused Minister Motshekga of trying to destroy the union.
The Department of Basic Education on Tuesday said Maluleke’s accusation -- if true as reported in the media -- are “untrue and unfortunate”.
The department reminded Sadtu (South African Democratic Teachers' Union) that the Ministerial Task Team was appointed as strongly recommended by teacher unions after the story broke in the media.
In 2014, a City Press investigation alleged that some school governing body members, Sadtu members and department officials were selling positions for cash.
“Everyone who was involved in the meetings convened to reflect and discuss the media reports, particularly in the City Press, agreed on the gravity of the ‘jobs for cash’ allegations. It was agreed that those allegations should be investigated,” the department said.
The department said the Minister accepted the string of recommendations from teacher unions to appoint a Ministerial Task Team, instead of requesting the President to appoint a Presidential Commission of Inquiry.
The department said the Minister does not do investigations, hence an independent Ministerial Task Team was appointed, and has no role to play in its findings.
“What is indisputable is the fact that an investigation on the allegations was to be conducted and a report submitted to the Minister for consideration. It is therefore unthinkable for the Minister to interfere in the work of the Task Team, whose only mandate is to unravel any truth to the allegations of jobs for cash,” said the department.
An interim report has been submitted by the Ministerial Task Team to the Minister and the Council of Education Ministers (CEM). – SAnews.gov.za
