Cope: Teachers take leave to campaign for ANC

KwaZulu-Natal teachers are taking leave to campaign for the African National Congress (ANC), the Congress of the People (Cope) claimed on Monday.

“Cope publicly condemns teacher’s under [the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union] who take up leave to campaign for ANC, especially in the Eastern Cape,” said Cope spokesperson Siyanda Mhlongo in a statement.

The education system was in “deep crisis” and teachers who abandoned classes to campaign full-time for the ANC were insensitive, he said.

The union, however, denied the claims. Sadtu’s Sipho Nkosi said “only one” teacher had been sent to campaign for the ANC in the Eastern Cape.

“There is only one teacher I sent to the Eastern Cape to campaign for the ANC.

The teacher is a full-time official of the union. We have an agreement with the department of education that full-time Sadtu officials like me do not teach,” said Nkosi.

Mhlongo in turn rejected Nkosi’s “only one teacher” claim. He said Cope expected education Minister Naledi Pandor and KwaZulu-Natal education minister Ina Cronje to investigate all teachers who took leave.

“School governing bodies must also act decisively against such absenteeism. We all know that most of these teachers do not have their children in rural and township schools, but in boarding schools and former model C schools.”

The Education Department was not immediately available for comment.—Sapa