Sadtu vows to shut schools

Teachers belonging to the central Gauteng branch of teachers' union Sadtu will start a "go-slow" after 10700 of them voted to join next week's public servants' strike.

At a meeting in Orlando, Soweto, yesterday, members applauded the decision to strike.

The union's regional general secretary, Ronald Nyathi, said: "We've voted for the strike and we want to ensure that all our members take to the streets.

"No school will be open in Soweto, Ennerdale, Lenasia, Alexandra and Eldorado Park during the strike."

Teachers waved placards with slogans such as "Secure the future, pay the teacher" and sang struggle songs such as Afuna imali amaKhomanisi [the communists want money].

The region's chairman, Moss Senye, said teachers would meet again tomorrow to "discuss the logistics of the strike".

"We are angry. We can't teach when we are angry. How can we concentrate on teaching if we are worried about bills all the time?" he said.

Sadtu's national spokesman, Nomusa Cembi, said the go-slow was part of the union's "non-co-operative stance".