Panyaza Lesufi takes on AfriForum over school placements: 'Fight racism with non racialism'

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi says AfriForum's call to have him replaced because of his role in the school placement fiasco was part of “racism”. 

AfriForum on Thursday submitted a letter to Gauteng premier David Makhura demanding the dismissal of Lesufi, claiming a long history of mismanagement and the division of communities by the MEC.

TimesLIVE reported that the letter was one of the measures the lobby group had taken in its bid to have Lesufi removed as MEC, including an online petition calling for his dismissal.

Taking to social media, Lesufi said the lobby group was racist and he wouldn't partake in its “racism” fight.

In a series of tweets, Lesufi also accused “racists” of allegedly trying to harm and attack him.

“My only plea to racists please don’t harm my kids and my family, as for me you are free to do as you wish,” he added.

Lesufi said his “sin was to take care of all our children so that they can access quality education”.

TimesLIVE reported that AfriForum’s campaign to remove Lesufi relates in part to the Gauteng department of education struggling to place more than 14,600 grade 1 and grade 8 pupils for the 2020 school year.

The lobby group said it had been flooded with requests from parents who had had enough of Lesufi’s mismanagement of the process.

It also accused Lesufi of constantly attacking schools that offered Afrikaans-only instruction.