Limpopo education MEC snubs parly committee’s visit

Limpopo MEC for education Polley Boshielo and two of her subordinates are in hot water after they apparently snubbed a planned visit by parliament’s portfolio committee on basic education in favour of an ANC provincial lekgotla on Monday.

The Limpopo ANC held its provincial executive committee lekgotla in Warmbaths/Bela-Bela from Sunday to Monday – the same time the parliamentary committee visited Boshielo’s department.

The aim of the committee’s visit was to discuss ways to improve the province’s regrettable performance in matric results last year.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) accused Boshielo of snoring on the job.

“We are appalled by the behaviour of the MEC, her head of department and chief financial officer, who were all absent from parliament’s portfolio committee on basic education’s oversight inspection and monitoring.

“We are also baffled that the MEC chose to attend an ANC lekgotla instead,” said DA spokesperson of basic education Nomsa Marchesi yesterday. “The DA views this as a slap in the faces of Limpopo’s scholars.”

Boshielo did not see anything wrong with her absence. “I am an MEC of education deployed by the ANC. It is clear that when the ANC calls me, I must respond to that call.”

– alex@citizen.co.za

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.