Johannesburg - The SA Teachers Democratic Union (Sadtu) and Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga are set to meet over allegations of fraud and corruption in the acquisition of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and the safety of teachers and learners at schools.
The union, in its meeting to take place this week, wants to raise several complaints of corruption following accusations by its members that tenders to provide PPEs at schools were given to companies and individuals without any procurement procedures.
Sadtu deputy general secretary Nkosana Dolopi said: “The union will engage the department to finalise all the issues affecting the substitution of teachers and education personnel including the provision of quality PPEs from the week of July 27.
“Any intransigence by the department which is informed by the prerogative instead of genuine consultations will be brutally challenged. The unions are not spectators they are required by law to be consulted.”
He reiterated their call for members to stop the alleged looting of equipment which, according to the union, was taking place under the guise of ensuring the safety of learners and teachers.
“We are calling on all our structures to unapologetically disrupt the plans of these ‘disaster capitalists’ who see our collective suffering as an opportunity to accumulate wealth by exposing and reporting them to the authorities.”
He added that Sadtu “welcomed the attempts” by President Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure that looters are brought to book through the presidential proclamation to authorise the Special Investigating Unit to investigate corruption allegations in any state body during the state of disaster.
Dolopi emphasised that civil action to recover the stolen funds should be a priority of government.
Meanwhile, government has made a call for unemployed education graduates to apply for Covid-19 posts at various schools in the country.
Motshekga made the job offers after more than 16000 teachers with comorbidities applied and were granted permission to work from home.
Her spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga had earlier said that the auditor-general had been asked to probe irregularities in the acquisition of PPEs in schools.
Political Bureau