Teachers strike on the cards

A possible teachers strike is on the agenda of the South Africa Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) mass meeting that is currently being held at KwaDukuza Town Hall.
The meeting forced an early dismissal of pupils in public schools between Tongaat and Mandeni.
One of the union members, who wished to remain anonymous, said they (SADTU) had been unhappy with a number of things done by the education department.
“Last year we appealed to the president to fire basic education minister Angie Motshekga and director general, Bobby Soobrayan but our request was denied and now we are being told he had done nothing wrong,” she said.
The union was accusing Soobrayan of the misuse of funds and signing agreements on the department’s behalf without having the authority to do so. They held a nation-wide protest last year demanding his resignation and Motshega’s. Soobrayan was suspended while the department investigated the allegations.
On February 18, education spokesperson Panyaza Lesufi announced that Soobrayan had been cleared of any wrong doing.
On the same day the union put in a strike notice and today’s meeting is one of many that are held around the country to decide when and if the strike will go ahead.
They will also be discussing salaries, which most SADTU members have said they were unhappy about since July 2013.