REOPENING OF SCHOOLS @KASIBCNEWS

The 2025 school year begins in earnest, inspired by the outstanding performance of the class of 2024. This feat is the work and investment of the ANC which elevated education on the apex of its agenda as a priority of government during the last five years based on the ANC election manifesto.

This is the massive feat of 30 years of democracy championed by all role players in the educational space.   The state of education is on the right quality growth path, necessitating a collaborative effort by the school governing bodies, communities and parents to ensure the safety of learners, nutritional school programme, school environment cleanliness, scholar transport safety and stationery for quality state of readiness. 

The equality and quality gap between urban and rural schools, affording and improvised schools, learners on social grants, learners from poor and child-headed households is gradually closing by implementing pro-poor policies to ensure universal access and equality in our education system. This work includes investment in infrastructure development, school sport, extra curricula programmes, investment in information technology and the regulation of the spaza shop sector to prevent food borne diseases that account for the death and sickness of learners. 

This is in line with the imperatives of education, access, children, dignity, language and culture and as espoused by the Constitution. Guided by the Freedom Charter that “The Doors of Learning and Culture Shall Be Opened”, the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA Act) that promotes and guarantees universal access, the dignity of learners, the equality of languages and investing in people it is our earnest believe that no child shall be denied the right to education. 

We appeal to communities to assume leadership by ensuring that the opening of schools is seamless to welcome the 2025 cohort as a continuation of the work of the past 30 years of democracy.  

The ANC shall continue to invest in people by building quality education and creating a conducive environment for quality learning. “The Doors of Learning and Culture Shall Be Opened”. 

GAUTENG SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE  @KASIBCNEWS

As the 2025 academic year commence in Gauteng today, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Infrastructure Development & Property Management is calling on the Department of Infrastructure Development to fast track the completion of school infrastructure projects to address the growing issue of overcrowding in Gauteng schools.

This comes after high pressure areas in the Province are experiencing an intake of high number of learners and this urgent action is critical to ensuring that learners are provided with conducive and safe learning environments.

The increasing demand for quality education in Gauteng has placed immense pressure on existing infrastructure and delayed school construction and refurbishment projects have exacerbated the problem.

The Committee is in possession of a list of schools which should have been completed by now and handed over to communities to alleviate overcrowding in certain areas, but they remain incomplete which the Committee views as unacceptable as it robs leaners of the opportunities they deserve.

To address this, the Committee urges the Department of Infrastructure Development to implement effective project management systems to ensure that all infrastructure projects are completed on time, within budget and the required quality standards.

The Committee calls for decisive action against Project Managers responsible for delays in school infrastructure projects.  

Where negligence, corruption or inefficiencies are identified, swift and firm action must be taken to hold those responsible accountable.  This will send a strong message that delays in the completion and delivery of critical infrastructure projects will not be tolerated in Gauteng.

The Committee recognizes that there are some areas where efforts have already been made by the Department of Infrastructure Development, but stresses that the pace of progress must improve significantly.

Learners and educators cannot wait any longer for the completion of much needed school infrastructure projects such as Rust Ter Vaal Secondary School, New Simunye Secondary School, Thubelihle Secondary School, Ditau Primary School and many other projects across the Province which the Committee has previously visited.

The Committee will use the list it has of incomplete school infrastructure projects to monitor their progress and hold the Department accountable particularly on timelines, standard of work done and allocated budgets to ensure that Gauteng learners are given conducive learning environments and allowing them access to quality education.

 

MATRIC CLASS 2024 @KASIBCNEWS

The African National Congress (ANC) proudly celebrates the outstanding achievements of the Matric Class of 2024. Their success stands as a testament to the transformative power of ANC policies that have, over the three decades of democracy, reshaped South Africa’s education system into one that prioritises equity, access and quality as espoused by the Freedom Charter. 

The Class of 2024 achieved a historic 87.3% pass rate, the highest in the country's history. This remarkable milestone reflects the resilience of learners, educators, and parents, as well as the decisive role of successive ANC-led administrations' interventions in education. It is particularly inspiring that 67% of Bachelor passes were achieved by learners from Quintile 1 to 3 schools, underscoring the ANC’s commitment to uplifting historically disadvantaged communities. 

These achievements reflect decades of targeted ANC policies, from introducing no-fee schools, which now boast an 85.8% pass rate, to expanding access to school nutrition programmes and addressing resource inequalities. The Class of 2024 has further demonstrated that these interventions work: 319,651 distinctions were achieved, with significant gains in critical subjects such as Mathematics. The ANC has worked tirelessly to dismantle the apartheid legacy in education, implementing policies that have ensured near-universal school attendance for learners aged 7 to 15. 

The recent Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, making Grade R compulsory, is a bold step toward strengthening Early Childhood Development and ensuring a solid foundation for learning. 

This Act is a catalytic vehicle to universal access and the dignity of learners. The ANC commends the Department of Basic Education, Umalusi, provincial departments, and educators for ensuring a robust, credible examination process. The verification by Umalusi demonstrates that the results reflect the maturity and international competitiveness of South Africa’s education system. 

As we celebrate the achievements of this cohort, we honour the legacies of our leaders, President Nelson Mandela, Professor Sibusiso Bengu, Professor Kader Asmal, Dr Naledi Pandor and Mam Angie Motshekga who understood that education is a key ingredient of transformation. Their vision continues to guide us in striving for a system that empowers all learners, irrespective of their backgrounds. 

GAUTENG BACK-TO-SCHOOL CAMPAIGN @KASIBCEVENTS

 Gauteng Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Human Settlements Tasneem Motara will tomorrow visit three schools in the Sedibeng region to assess their readiness for the first day of school for the 2025 academic year under the theme Delivering Quality Education in a Modern Environment.  MEC Motara will also host a stakeholder meeting with key parties in the education sector to better understand issues of education in the Region.  

The schools are General Smuts Secondary School in Vereeniging, Thuto Lore Secondary School in Sharpeville, and Mohlodi Maritime School of Specialisation in Sharpeville. 

The details of the visits are as follows: 

Venue 1: General Smut Secondary (Van Riebeek Street , Vereeniging) Time: 7:00am Date: 15 January 2025  

Venue 2: Thuto Lore Secondary School (7120 Sharpeville) Time: 09:00am 

Venue 3: Mohlodi Maritime School of Specialisation ( Zwane Street, Sharpeville) Time: 10:20am 

SOUTH AFRICA A WAR ZONE @KASIBCNEWS

This morning’s shooting in Nyanga, which claimed one life and injured seven others, alongside the murder of nine people at a tavern in Mpumalanga over the weekend, underscores the SAPS’s inability to act proactively and the lack of crime intelligence.

The Minister of Police’s recent revelation that 9,000 people were killed in mass shootings between 2019 and 2023 highlights the severity of the crime crisis in our country. Citizens and police officers alike live in fear, with a growing number of officers themselves becoming victims of violent crime.

We need significant change with regards to crime intelligence to ensure that these incidents can be stopped before they happen. Most of these incidents are planned and can be prevented if the right intelligence structures are in place.

This would entail amongst others a skills audit to determine whether the right people are in positions and to introduce well-trained recruits to start building relevant localised capacity. It is also crucial to determine the origins of leaks that compromise good police officers.

We once again call on the minister to devolve policing powers so that all can assist to fight this scourge against South Africans.

The DA supports the Minister’s proposed law reforms to outlaw gang membership and urges the government to act swiftly to implement these measures. South Africans cannot continue to live under siege. It is time for decisive action to restore law and order.

SCHOOL SAFETY TO PROTECT LEARNERS AND EDUCATORS #KASIBCNEWS 

As schools across Gauteng reopen for the 2025 academic year tomorrow, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety has called on various Government Departments to prioritize the implementation of recommendations of a Focused Intervention Study (FIS) on School Safety.

The FIS titled “Assessing the Effectiveness of School Safety Interventions in Fighting Crime in Gauteng Schools”, was tabled and formally adopted during a House Sitting of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature last year and was jointly conducted by the Portfolio Committees on Community Safety and Education as a result of the prevalence of violent crimes in Gauteng schools.

The FIS was focused on assessing the effectiveness of programmes of various government departments, which are aimed at creating safer learning environments at schools across the province. Amongst others, the objectives of the study were to investigate factors contributing to the scourge of violence at schools, ascertain the level of implementation of safety plans, the multi-disciplinary diversion programmes, as well as the impact of the adopt-a-cop programme in deterring criminal behavior at schools.

In gathering data for the FIS both Committees of the Legislature conducted unannounced oversight visits at several schools which are among the 75 high-risk schools in the Province, as well as conducting stakeholder engagement sessions with key and relevant stakeholders within the education and safety sector.  

In one of the schools that the Committees visited, Eldorado Park Secondary School, a learner was stabbed during the joint Committee oversight visit, revealing the shocking state of safety in schools.

Some of the joint Committee findings exposed shocking realities of learners carrying dangerous weapons, illicit substances being abused on school premises and disturbing incidents of bullying, gangsterism, and tribalism leaving both learners and educators at risk.

Several recommendations have been made to Government Departments, demanding urgent implementation to prevent further tragedies and they include:

➢ The Department of Community Safety in collaboration with Law enforcement Agencies must enhance the random school search interventions to curb violent behavior including the carrying of dangerous weapons and the use of illicit substances by learners at schools.  

➢ The Department of Education jointly with the Department of Community Safety must strengthen the deployment of security personnel such as Gauteng Traffic Wardens, security guards, or patrollers to enhance visible policing and maintain law and order at schools. Also, enhance efforts of installing CCTV cameras to ensure that learners, educators, and school physical environs are completely safeguarded.  

➢ The Departments of Community Safety, Education, and Social Development jointly develop and implement a multidisciplinary strategy to curb the scourge of illegal substance and drug abuse within school premises

The relevant Departments have been given until the 28th of February 2025 to submit an integrated report to the Legislature on all the recommendations contained in the FIS report.

The Committee warns that failure to act on these recommendations could lead to escalating violence, further endangering the future of Gauteng learners and educators.

The full FIS report is available on the Gauteng Provincial Legislature website https://www.gpl.gov.za/fis-report-on-school-safety-interventions/

 

ARREST OF ANC COUNCILLORS @KASIBCNEWS 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes reports of the arrest of ANC Councillor Tobius Malope, who was recently elected to the Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality Council. He was arrested on allegations of extortion of a contractor in a construction project.

The extortion allegations against him are grave, and we expect that he will be suspended immediately. Unfortunately, such allegations are not new for ANC councillors in Limpopo, a province that has long struggled to attract investment and create job opportunities due to rampant corruption.

Local ANC Councillors, like Malope, hailed by the ANC as being “among the best to represent the best”, have usually shown more interest in personal enrichment than in addressing the needs of struggling residents. Elias Motsoaledi Municipality has faced persistent service delivery issues, with many communities lacking access to water and job opportunities.

The DA continues to fight against construction mafias and corruption at both national and local levels. We urge the public to report any instances of extortion or intimidation to the police without delay.

As we approach the 2026 local government elections, the DA is confident that the residents of Elias Motsoaledi will reject the ANC, just as South Africans did in the recent national elections.