Latest news with #UnitedAfricansTransformation
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.
TimesLIVE
16-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
UAT outraged as Gauteng returns unspent R1bn to National Treasury
The United Africans Transformation (UAT) party expressed its disappointment at the Gauteng government after it was revealed that more than R1bn earmarked for critical services had been returned to the National Treasury due to underspending in the 2024/25 financial year. Provincial Treasury department head, Ncumisa Mnyani said on Monday that the department of health did not spend R724.6m of its R66bn allocated budget, while the department of education also failed to use R317.35m of its R66.1bn budget, Sowetan reported. The political party said people of Gauteng cannot continue to suffer because government officials are too slow, too disorganised, or too complacent to do their jobs. 'How does a government with a R66bn health budget fail to spend R724m, when clinics remain understaffed and healthcare infrastructure is crumbling? 'How does a department with a R66.1bn education budget fail to spend R317m, while township schools face overcrowding, poor sanitation and infrastructure backlogs?' the party said. It said Gauteng's infrastructure and services were in dire need of attention. This included roads with unaddressed potholes and maintenance needs, continuous power outages affecting daily life and economic productivity and underfunded schools requiring renovations for a conducive learning environment. 'The returned funds could have fixed our roads, schools and many more. Instead, we're stuck with potholes and darkness, crime, unemployment, lack of housing etc.'
TimesLIVE
13-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
United Africans Transformation calls on education department to fix schools
The United Africans Transformation (UAT) party has called on the basic education department urgently to conduct a full, independently verified audit of every public school in the country. The political party also demanded a focused emergency plan that addresses the most dangerous infrastructure failures, including collapsing classrooms, lack of water and electricity, and pit toilets. 'This plan must have clear deadlines and be implemented with urgency, not excuses,' the party said on Tuesday. It was commenting on a statement by basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube in parliament last week that '90% of schools are in fair to excellent condition'. UAT said Gwarube did not speak for the thousands of pupils still sitting in unsafe classrooms, walking through cracked walls and using broken, undignified toilets. 'She certainly did not speak for the parents and teachers in rural villages and overcrowded townships who are crying out for change. This is not just about pit toilets. It is about children being sent to school every day in buildings that are falling apart.' The party said it was about pupils learning in scorching hot container classrooms with no windows or proper ventilation. UAT said Gwarube herself admitted that more than 8,000 schools still needed proper classrooms and that more than 13,000 schools did not have enough toilets to meet the needs of growing pupil numbers. 'And yet, her department missed its own deadline to eliminate pit toilets by March 31 2024, a promise made to South Africans years ago. These are not just backlogs. These are broken promises.' The party said it was not good enough for the department to say 'we are working on it'. 'UAT believes that every child in this country deserves to walk into a clean, safe and fully equipped school not one day in the distant future, but now.'
