Update: Scuffle at school and teacher rushed to hospital

Another incident took place at Roodepoort Primary this morning when Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) district representative Dennis Makwakwa arrived to issue teachers transfer letters.

Angry parents and community members apparently tried to get to him when a minor scuffle broke out which the police broke up. This comes after the school was closed indefinitely by the department at the behest of Gauteng Premier David Makhura. Busses took pupils to different schools but the coloured parents refused to let their children be taken away insisting the Premier and Member of Executive Committee (MEC) Panyaza Lesufi had no right to close their school and demanding their children be taught there. A teacher also had to be rushed to hospital after he/she allegedly had a stroke after receiving his/her transfer letter.

Community leader Ronald Dyer strongly criticised the events of the past week saying it is a perfect example of ever increasing “black nationalist supremacy”. He once again denied any racism on the community’s side but said racial division has been created by the actions of the GDE and the Premier.

He also reiterated that the real issue, the flawed selection of the principal, has not been addressed and the matter has been politicised.

“They have made it clear that we as a minority will not be heard and they have no regard for our community. As with Marikana any dissent by the minority will be stamped out, if necessary with brute force. That was Makhura’s clear message on Friday,” said Dyer.

“At a meeting last Wednesday between Lesufi and all the stake holders, two different speakers, a representative of the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nahawu) and South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), said in so many words that “the minority must be clamped down”, and as always these unions have their fingers in this pie,” he said.

Dyer said the community will have a meeting tonight to decide on the way forward.

According to Colonel André Laing members of the community has said they will not allow the buses that transport the pupils to other schools into Davidsonville tomorrow.

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