The gloves are off in the clash between the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) and the ANC-aligned student organisation, the Congress of South African Students (Cosas).
This follows an illegal march organised by Cosas through the streets of Johannesburg. Besides facing charges relating to holding an illegal march, Cosas may also face other criminal charges. According to police superintendent Chris Wilken, ‘the windows of several vehicles were smashed and some of the street hawkers were looted”.
The GDE is also planning to take decisive action against Cosas’ provincial leadership. According to GDE representative Lebelo Maloka, ‘[We] will be instituting a disciplinary hearing against all the organisers of the march”. The provincial leadership of Cosas will be suspended from all public schools with immediate effect, and ‘face the possibility of expulsion from all public schools [in
Gauteng]”.
But Cosas remains defiant. Says provincial chairperson Mpho Sesedinyane, ‘More radical action will follow if any of our leadership is suspended or expelled.We will bring riots and chaos to the city.”
Julius Malema, Cosas’ president general, is also threatening to call for a school stayaway.
Sesedinyane is also insisting that Cosas was given verbal permission for the march by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD). However, this is firmly refuted by JMPD representative Edna Mokoena: ‘We absolutely did not give any permission [to Cosas]. In fact, we warned them that they shouldn’t march.”
Sesedinyane says Cosas is prepared to defend its claim in court.
But Cosas may find itself out in the cold as the ANC has also condemned the march. Says representative Smuts Ngonyama, ‘We cannot allow people to take to the streets under the auspices of a peaceful march and create havoc.” The provincial branch of the ANC has met with Cosas. Details of the meeting were not available at the time of going to press.
The march was organised by Cosas to demand, among other things, that the GDE’s instruction to all schools to lock their gates during school hours be suspended.
Cosas is also demanding that free education be provided from 2003.
This is the third march organised by Cosas in recent times which has been marked by looting, vandalism and general chaos.