Personnel from seven schools in Breyten came together on Monday, 25 February at 8.30am to march against the recent protest actions in Breyten, preventing children from going to school.
At first the group of teachers were locked out of the District Educational Offices, but after some time they were let in to raise their concerns.
They handed over memorandums to express their grievances to Gert Sibande District Municipality and the District Educational offices in Ermelo on Friday, 22 February to inform the involved parties of the march.
In the memorandums the teachers and school governing bodies (SGB) demands that their superiors step in so that the children can go back to school and to ensure that the educators and the children receive the necessary security from the local police station.
They also support the community wanting the issues in Kwazanele to get the necessary attention it requires to be resolved, but they are against the manner the protestors are handling the situation.
This came after the recent protests at Kwazanele in Breyten where seven schools were prohibited to operate.
The schools affected by this action are Breyten Primary School, Khonzakahle Primary, Siyazi Primary, Siyacathula Primary, Klipstapel Primary and Masizake Secondary School.
This adds up to 3736 learners and 134 educators that are affected directly by the protest. Some of the schools have lost between two and three weeks of contact time with the learners.
Teachers expressed their concerns that the protestors are using the children for their own political agendas as well as using the children as pawns to draw attention to the political issues that they are experiencing.
“We are not against the protest but we are against the way they are keeping our children out of school and taking away necessary contact time, they must think of the children,” said one of the teachers to the Highvelder.
Another teacher told the Highvelder that the children are traumatized by the events and their parents are concerned that their children are falling behind with the curriculum.
The group of teachers and school governing bodies (SGB) held a meeting on Thursday, 21 February at Kwazanele Hall to find a way to get the children back to school, but were disrupted by some of the protestors.
The teachers feel that they are left in the dark with no support or communications from any of their superiors.
“After everything is over they will expect from us to teach over weekends and in the afternoons to catch up on lost time, but this is unfair towards the children. They will be punished for something they did not do,” said one of the teachers.
The group raised their concern about the KwaZanele public library that was set alight on Friday, 22 February, asking their superiors if they are waiting for the children’s home to be set alight before they will step in.
Mr Absenia Habile, Gert Sibande District Municipality Manager, Mr Muzi Chiwa (executive mayor) along with other councillors addressed the group of teachers in the council chambers.
They planned on meeting again on Tuesday, 26 February with the delegations of disruptive protestors and SGB’s, and will report back to the teachers.
The teachers are hoping to be back at their respective schools on Wednesday, 27 February.
