Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube’s turbulent 2024: Will she be backed in 2025?

Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube had quite the year in 2024, but how well did she do? We take a look.

When the African National Congress (ANC) invited parties to join the government of national unity (GNU) following their disappointing national and provincial elections in May, the door was opened for power to be shared.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s third Cabinet, sworn in on 3 July, now features ministers and deputy ministers from 10 other parties.

Former critics of incumbents in the GNU were appointed to the very roles they had criticised, now tasked with leading the country forward.

Gwarube boycotts the Bela signing ceremony

The Democratic Alliance (DA) member may be the new basic education minister, but she was powerless to stop the signing of the Basic Education Laws Amendments (Bela) Bill into law in September. It had been pushed through by the ANC in the previous administration.

Her party is opposed to the bill and Gwarube protested by boycotting the signing ceremony at the Union Buildings.

Gwarube’s key objections relate to admissions and language policies, as well as grade R becoming the compulsory school-starting age.

“I have thus written to the president and notified him that, in the present circumstance, I cannot attend today’s signing ceremony until concerns regarding the Bill are rectified,” the minister stated.

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Minister’s response to the food poisoning crisis

The ongoing food poisoning dilemma has seen scores of children die due to food-borne illnesses from goods said to have been bought from spaza shops.

In November, the government said food had been contaminated after being exposed to chemicals, particularly terbufos in the pesticide aldicarb, which was banned in South Africa eight years ago.

Before this was announced, there was worry the contaminated food had been bought from school tuck shops or feeding schemes.

Gwarube, in October, clarified that this was not the case.

“The first thing we did as a department was to find out from the provinces if these incidents came from the national school nutrition programme because that is what we are responsible for,” she said.

“We were able to ascertain that it was not coming from food that was being served at school, and so were not part of the school nutrition programme.”

She urged pupils and parents to be extra vigilant about food that is brought into schools.

Teaching jobs on the line after budget cuts in the education sector

Gwarube’s greatest challenge came in the form of budget cuts that may lead to thousands of teaching posts being lost.

She raised alarm about a looming budget crisis due to a whopping R79 billion to R118 billion shortfall over the next three years.

Provincial departments have made plans to save money by cutting some programmes to save others.

In the Western Cape, 2 400 teaching posts were cut after a budget shortfall of R3.8 billion.

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In Gauteng, Education MEC Matome Chiloane announced that the province would be cutting its budget on school nutrition and scholar transport to save more than 3 000 teaching jobs.

Unions and civil society groups did not take well to this.

General secretary of the country’s largest teachers union, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), Mugwena Maluleke told The Citizen that school nutrition and scholar transport are essential to the quality of learning in schools.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) also said it was “gravely concerned” and would go to Parliament to contest the matter.

The  Budget Justice Coalition (BJC) called for action to reverse the crisis.

Analyst says Gwarube has much support, does well to address core issues

Policy analyst Dr Nkosikhulule Nyembezi said there was tension between President Cyril Ramaphosa and Gwarube, who felt she had the rough end of the Treasury stick regarding the budget cuts.

“Many concerned political leaders sent letters to the president in a vain attempt to appeal to him over the head of his finance minister, protesting about Treasury’s spending plans for the department,” Nyembezi pointed out.

“It is heartening that this minister keeps the art of negotiation and inclusion alive by including MECs, teacher unions, and other stakeholders to focus on the department’s core business,” the analyst added.

“The news on spending cuts will not be all bleak. I will be astonished if the Treasury does not direct additional resources towards some of the most politically sensitive areas, starting with education.

“The education department will continue to get more resources in part to help address the severe backlog in the school system.

“Cabinet dissent will always emanate from the DA ministers whose departments do not enjoy the same level of protection as the education service.”

Nyembezi said there was much trepidation about the GNU’s spending priorities and the impact on government wage bills.

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“It is fair to say that very few DA folk join the party or stand for parliament because their lodestar is fiscal responsibility. They are in politics to help the disadvantaged, improve public services and spread opportunities more widely.”

The analyst said this is the criteria Gwarube will be judged against.

“We have already seen a furious backlash, including hostile public comments, against the proposed budget cuts in education.

“This prevailing environment suggests the minister has sizeable backing from a wide range of stakeholders, something that other ministers do not have.”

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