Latest news with #RapulaMoatshe
IOL News
21-05-2025
- IOL News
Protest erupts at Soshanguve school over learner assaults
Learners at Soshanguve South Secondary School broke the gate and joined EFF and United Africans Transformation party protesters, demanding the principal's resignation after a viral video showed outsiders assaulting learners with broomsticks. Image: Rapula Moatshe/Independent Newspapers Chaos erupted at Soshanguve South Secondary School on Wednesday morning when learners broke the gate and left the premises to join a group of protesters from the EFF and United Africans Transformation (UAT). The protesters demanded the principal's resignation after a viral video showing learners being physically assaulted with broomsticks by outsiders on school grounds on Monday, allegedly for arriving late. It is alleged that the school principal allowed outsiders, linked to a local community policing forum, to discipline learners who are sometimes involved in violent fights. A parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said her child was still traumatised after being beaten at school on Monday for arriving late. The parent said: "He told us he was traumatised after being beaten with broomsticks, like a thief, especially by someone who was not his father. He is injured on his back, and we had to massage him last night to ease the pain. I am not feeling well about what happened." Some learners claimed they had been previously assaulted in classrooms by the same community members, who also forced them to do push-ups. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Lindiwe Masilela from the EFF in Tshwane said her party's student command was called by learners to intervene in the situation that unfolded at the school on Monday. She condemned corporal punishment, saying it had been abolished long ago and what happened at the school was unwarranted. She demanded the arrest of the school principal, deputy principal, and the chairperson of the School Governing Body (SGB) for the assault incident. Additionally, she called on Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, to intervene, criticising him for merely attending ceremonial events instead of addressing pressing issues. Masilela dismissed the claim that her party had instructed learners to disperse from the school. "You saw that it was the leaders who broke the gate lock to escape because they were scared to be at the school," she said. Bongani Ramontja, leader of the civic group Soil of Africa, blamed the principal for involving community members in punishing learners. "We want decisive action against the principal. He should be suspended pending investigation, along with teachers who witnessed the incident and failed to intervene," he said. Lesley Sebotsane from UAT said: 'We need to get to the root of the problem so we can ensure our children are in a safe environment when they are at school. Reports of physical abuse signal that something is seriously wrong." Gauteng Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department is aware and deeply concerned by an incident that took place on Monday. 'According to our reports, community members allegedly overpowered scholar patrollers and forced their way into the school premises where they reportedly began beating girl and boy learners. It is also alleged that they nearly assaulted department officials and the principal who tried to intervene, and they proceeded to verbally abuse them,' he said. He said an assault case had been reported to the police and that psychosocial support was being provided to affected learners and staff. He appealed to the community to refrain from taking the law into their own hands. 'While we acknowledge the frustrations that may arise from issues such as late-coming, under no circumstances can physical violence or intimidation be justified, especially when directed at children and education officials,' he said.
IOL News
01-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
How Tshwane plans to boost security by insourcing guards in the next financial years
Security guards gathered at Church Square in Pretoria CBD on Workers' Day, were told about the City of Tshwane's plans to insource more than 200 security guards in 2025, aiming for 1 500 in future. Image: Rapula Moatshe / Independent Newspapers The City of Tshwane has plans in the pipeline to insource over 200 security guards in the 2025/2026 financial year, with potential expansion to hire at least 1 500 guards in 2026/2027. The promises were made by Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs) from the EFF and ActionSA during a Workers' Day gathering of security guards at Church Square in Pretoria's CBD on Thursday. Tshwane MMC for Environmental Affairs and Agriculture, Obakeng Ramabodu, also an EFF councillor, said: 'We chose this day, which is Workers' Day, to celebrate the pride of workers but what is important is to make sure we give proper update to the workers who have been waiting for insourcing.' He was referring to the insourcing process initiated under former mayor Solly Msimanga, which resulted in the municipality hiring over 1 200 security guards. The city's initial plan for the first phase was to insource 1 500 security guards, following a council resolution to scrap private security contracts and employ 4 000 guards in-house under the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD). Ramabodu said the first phase was incomplete, falling short of the 1 500 target by over 200 security guards. 'We are completing that phase, but we are also looking into another phase that will be implemented after the 2025/2026 financial year.' He said the first phase would involve training security guards who were previously hired without adequate training, as well as equipping them with the necessary tools. 'We are saying Phase Two is going to happen in the next financial year (2026/2027) and not the financial year starting in July this year. What we are going to do now is to equip them with the necessary tools of trade. 'They were left there with jeans and a T-shirt on site without knowing what to do. That is why our infrastructure is under attack. That is why our substations are burning every week. That is why electricity is affected because the people that we have deployed to secure our infrastructure are not trained and don't have the necessary equipment,' he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ According to him, all political parties in the coalition government agree on implementing insourcing. 'We are pleased that the security personnel have decided to collaborate with this government. We are hopeful to bring on board another batch of 1 500 in the 2026/2027 financial year. We have only two financial years remaining before the elections. If we are lying, it means we will be held accountable at the election, and workers would have the right to punish us at the polls," Ramabodu said. Hannes Coetzee, Community Safety MMC, also an ActionSA councillor, explained that the current administration inherited 1 287 security guards, 'but the challenge that we are sitting with there is that they are not trained'.
IOL News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Teachers march against austerity measures harming South African education
Sadtu-affiliated teachers joined a march in large numbers, demanding an end to government austerity measures. Image: Rapula Moatshe/ Independent Newspapers Teachers affiliated to the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) took to the street on Wednesday, demanding the scrapping of government-imposed austerity measures, which they claim are crippling the education sector and driving teachers to resign due to excessive workloads. Union members marched to the Department of Basic Education and National Treasury, delivering their memorandum of demands under heavy police security. Sadtu's general secretary, Dr Mugwena Maluleke, said that austerity measures have severely harmed the education system, driving teachers out. 'We have seen excessive workloads which is killer number one for our teachers. They are resigning. They are leaving the profession because of workload and classes that are overcrowded every day because the department does not have the money due to the austerity measures by the Treasury,' he said. He urged the government to halt austerity measures on education, emphasising that education should be viewed as an investment rather than a cost. 'We need to be able to build our country and the economy and we rely on education to do that and so you cannot therefore treat education as an expense. We are saying the Treasury must stop new liberal policies that are forcing schools to work without resources,' he said. He pointed out that many schools suffer from dilapidated infrastructure, with learners often forced to study in classrooms with broken windows. 'These are our children and they have to be treated with respect and dignity. And we are saying to the Treasury you cannot implement the VAT increase because there is tax evasion in this country,' he said. He also advocated for a wealth tax, stating that "people are very rich in this country," implying that taxing the wealthy could generate revenue for essential public services like education. Maluleke called on the Department of Basic Education to protect teachers from violence and extortion, specifically highlighting the Western Cape where teachers are being extorted for money, alleging the department is not taking sufficient action. The union also opposed teacher retrenchments, warning it could harm the economy. 'You are going to destroy our social stability and political stability because education is our social vaccine,' he said. The union issued a 21-day ultimatum to the relevant departments to address their concerns, warning that failure to comply would lead to a strike. Basic Education deputy director-general, Dr Granville Whittle, who received the memorandum, assured the union that the department would respond within the 21-day timeframe. Cosatu president, Zingiswa Losi, stated that the issues raised by Sadtu are directly linked to the historical budget cuts. 'The struggle that Sadtu is pursuing is a struggle that we had during our times when we were still students, the issues of teacher-pupil ratio. You cannot have at this time classrooms that are more populated with children particularly with regard to our own township schools,' she said. Losi argued that austerity measures contradict efforts to improve poor school infrastructure, saying the government cannot fix the problem by cutting funding. 'You would know that rural school children are still dying in latrine toilets. You have schools that have broken windows and toilets are not working. No conducive environment for teachers,' she said.
