‘We are ready’: Motshekga says school restart hinges on Ramaphosa family meeting

Schools are still expected to reopen on Monday, basic education minister Angie Motshekga said on Saturday.

Giving a briefing on schools' preparedness to welcome pupils amid the third wave of Covid-19, Motshekga said: “We are ready.”

She said the reopening would only be confirmed on Sunday, when President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to update the nation about the state of disaster.

"Depending on confirmation by the president tomorrow after cabinet, as a sector there is agreement across the board that we are ready for the reopening of schools on Monday, 26 July 2021," she said.

Four weeks ago, Ramaphosa announced the imposition of alert level 4, in which all gatherings except funerals were prohibited, a 9pm-4am curfew was imposed and alcohol sales were banned.

Since then, Gauteng and several other provinces have passed the peak of their third wave of infections.

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