Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga‚ on Thursday acknowledged the veracity of the #Jobsforsale scandal within her portfolio‚ announcing that criminal cases will be instigated to stamp out cases of cash changing hands for school principal positions. The minister appointed an investigation team to investigate reports by the City Press that teacher and principal posts were being sold by members of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu).“The interim report confirms that there is corruption and undue influence on the appointment of teachers and school principals‚” the minister told a news briefing.The task team probed 75 cases‚ she said‚ “30 of which provided grounds for reasonable suspicion or wrongdoing”.“The report and recommendations therein will be used to remediate the system and deal with this rot which has entered the system.”Motshekga said she would bring in the South African Police Service (SAPS) and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).“The forensic investigation is continuing. Police will be contacted and arrests are possible where evidence of illegal actions exists.”The interim report would also be presented to Cabinet and Parliament for consideration.The necessary changes “to the way we do business” would be made once the final report was complete and input was obtained from stakeholders from the sector.The task team’s interim report‚ the Minister said‚ indicates that in a majority of provinces‚ unions appear to control government.“This has undermined government’s ability to deliver on its priority which is education.”The task team‚ she said‚ believes that the “dominant influences of unions in the appointment process” had been made possible by “feeble‚ dilatory conditions” in districts.“This cannot continue…Merit must be the only determining factor when it comes to appointments particularly in our schools.”..