UDM’s women’s organisation says ‘the worst is yet to come’ if schooling continues

The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has said that schools in South Africa “are going to be major coronavirus transmission centres” following their reopening and return to class of Grades 7 and 12 on Monday.

In a statement, the party’s Women’s Organisation said it was “outraged at government’s willingness to risk the lives of school pupils and teachers”.

The organisation noted media reports that 38 schools in Gauteng had reported cases of coronavirus infections, while 55 from “the epicentre of this deadly enemy” Western Cape had reported the same.

The organisation further noted that it had warned the department of education that reopening schools should only be done when it was safe to do so and that it had pleaded with Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga “to act as a parent”, a plea which was not acceded to.

The organisation said that it was aware that a pupil at Woodhill College in Pretoria, Gauteng, had tested positive for Covid-19, “thus endangering” those the learner came into contact with.

The organisation said it was “also in possession of a letter from West Bank High School” in East London, Eastern Cape, which was forced to send Grade 7 pupils home “until further notice” after it emerged that a parent of a learner had tested positive.

The organisation called on the department of basic education and the national coronavirus command council “to urgently review” the decision to reopen schools, “even if it means that the current academic year must be revised”.

“South Africa cannot afford this kind of negligence, young lives are at stake and not all immune systems can fight this disease, think of pupils in rural areas where there is no clean water and poor toilet facilities.

“If schooling continues, the worst is yet to come were coronavirus infections are concerned,” the organisation said.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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