Protest over, but Malamulele pupils miss out

Residents of Malamulele, Limpopo, have suspended their protest but learners have lost an opportunity to write their matric supplementary examinations which started yesterday.

Community leader Steve Mahlale said a resolution to restore normality in the area was taken during a meeting yesterday.

“We have decided as the community to suspend the shutdown and allow children to go back to school and workers to return to work,” he said.

Mahlale said although pupils, who were expected to start writing supplementary exams yesterday, had missed out he hoped that the department of education would make a plan.

Residents  have been protesting  for the past  six weeks, demanding that they  fall under   a separate municipality,  claiming  that  the Thohoyandou-based Thulamela municipality has not been providing proper services to their community.

Since  last month, four schools have been set alight.

Provincial education department spokesman Kgaleng Peane said 301 pupils   qualified to sit for the exams but did not do so because of  the  volatile situation on the ground.

Paena said  the  government had tried to defuse the tension in Malamulele to create an environment which would have enable pupils  to write. “We tried to engage with community  leaders and members of the task team to allow school children to register in January and be allowed to attend classes to prepare for the exams, but they refused. We were told that those learners were fighting for freedom,” said Paena.

Professional Educators Union  spokesman Klaas Mohlatlole criticised  the government for failing find a way for the affected pupils  to write their exams.

Provincial SA Democratic Teachers Union secretary Sowell Tjebane said it was unfortunate that members of the community, in their struggle for a separate municipality, had used pupils  as a weapon.