SADTU teachers march to support Zuma

Members of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) have marched in Pietermaritzburg in support of a second term for President Jacob Zuma, the SABC reported on Saturday.

About 500 members wearing red and black SADTU colours and carrying placards were marching to the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.

The marchers would hand over a memorandum to the head of the education department, Nkosinathi Sishi.

Sadtu held its three-day annual general council last week, with "unambiguous" support for President Jacob Zuma’s bid for a second term in office.

The union’s declaration on Sunday, October 28 was a mix on the union’s stance on education issues such as school infrastructure and early childhood development, and politics, with the union issuing a declaration calling for increased unity within the tripartite alliance, Business Day LIVE reported.

The union said that issues of education could no longer be isolated from the wider problems facing the country.

Sadtu president Thobile Ntola called for increased involvement of members in carrying out all the government’s policies. Good policies are being designed, but Sadtu members are not doing enough to ensure they are properly implemented.

Ntola also called for renewed focus on school infrastructure, such as science laboratories, saying the ability of pupils to learn and be effectively taught was at stake.

She said the Department of Basic Education needed to "balance its books" and address the issue of temporary teachers. It was unacceptable that after 18 years of democracy, teachers were being told at the end of the year they would not return to schools with vacancies.

Sadtu and the Department of Basic Education have butted heads over unfilled vacancies, notably in the Eastern Cape, a province heavily reliant on temporary teachers.

At the opening of the general council, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said this year had been an "uphill battle" for the education sector, but there had been notable achievements such as the memorandum of understanding with unions on professional development.

The government is to spend R3 billion on raising teachers’ skills in 2013/14, the report said.

Maluleke said Sadtu still had confidence in Ms Motshekga’s leadership, but that the minister needed to "pull up her socks" as the union’s patience was "wearing thin" over her failure to properly exercise oversight.

The union was awaiting her action against officials who were responsible for the delay in textbook delivery in Limpopo, he said.

Motshekga was also frustrating collective bargaining procedures and needed to show more leadership on the issues facing the country, he said.