Motsoeneng stopped from addressing pupils
MIDRAND - Two ANC officials were stopped from delivering keynote addresses at a Midrand secondary school and saw an event cancelled.
A motivational tour at a school in Ivory Park with the controversial former head of the SABC Hlaudi Motsoeneng as one of the main speakers, was cancelled at the last minute.
Kuzondlula Motivational Tour (KMT) was set to host the motivational tour with the theme ‘It’s possible, I can do it’ at Eqinisweni Secondary School in Ivory Park, Midrand on 3 May.
Motsoeneng and Fikile Mbalula, the Minister of Police, were supposed to deliver the keynote addresses at the school.
The event was eventually cancelled due to what the chairman of KMT Vuyolethu Sibiya called ‘political wars at play’.
KMT is an organisation that travels to various schools in disadvantaged areas with different guests to motivate the pupils to work and focus on their education and be self-disciplined so they can be able to change their unfortunate surrounding.
The aim of this particular event was to tackle issues such as teenage pregnancy, alcohol abuse, suicide, drug abuse and child-headed families which affect a lot of pupils in the school and also to offer study opportunities to them.
The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Shadow Minister of Basic Education Gavin Davis released a statement of 2 May stating that the Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga should ban Motsoeneng from what they referred to as ‘politicking at schools’.
Sibiya said all procedures were followed to host the event but the education district said they were not told about the event, therefore, it will not be allowed to take place and Motsoeneng will not be given the platform to address the pupils.
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Due to the statement that was released by the DA, Sibiya said it seems as though it was not a coincidence that the event was shut down but was a politically motivated war against Motsoeneng playing out.
Davis launched an attack on Motsoeneng’s academic record in his statement stating, “One wonders what study tips Motsoeneng can offer when he himself failed to obtain a matric, and was found by the Public Protector to have lied when he claimed that he had a matric qualification.” Davis claimed that Motsoeneng was not a role model for any young person to emulate.
“I have therefore written to Minister Angie Motshekga to request that she prevents Motsoeneng from conducting his political campaign in schools,” said Davis. The acting spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Education Oupa Bodibe said Motsoeneng was not prevented from speaking because of political agendas.
The whole event was stopped because neither the organisers or the principal of the school informed the department about this event. Bodibe said all activities that happen in schools should be regulated and authorised by the department, to protect the time for learning and teaching. Motsoeneng was not keen to speak about the matter stating that he does not want to get involved in politics but believes that education is a tool which should be used to unite South Africans.
“Not all may view me as a role model but to other people I am,” said Motsoeneng.
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