Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Willie Madisha was optimistic that teaching would resume in Khutsong on Monday, the South African Broadcasting Corporation news reported.
”Teachers have agreed, they are going back to classes, education will happen,” he said on Sunday following a meeting with teachers and parents.
He was in the township, near Carletonville, in his capacity as president of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union, a Cosatu affiliate.
Madisha said after a successful meeting with teachers, in which they were given assurances that the union had assigned lawyers to the case of four suspended colleagues, he had a less successful meeting with parents.
”One person in the crowd said it would not be a good idea [for schooling to resume],” Madisha said. The mood had then swung against him.
Madisha noted that education in Khutsong would be disrupted later this month during the national strike, giving added incentive for the government to resolve its differences with unions over pay increases in the public service.
Madisha said he had learnt from Khutsong teachers that many had been going to class, but that the community had prevented children from going to school.
Khutsong falls under the Merafong municipality, which was moved from Gauteng to the North West under the consolidation of cross-border municipalities.
This evoked strong criticism and resulted in violent protests from Khutsong residents. Schooling has been disrupted for more than a month.
The Khutsong community was planning to challenge the demarcation in the Constitutional Court, complaining about the lack of consultation.
On Sunday the Young Communist League of South Africa said after its weekend national committee meeting that referendums should be held in Khutsong, Moutse, Matatiele and all other areas affected by the cross-border municipality issue.
”We are infuriated by the continued failure by the Minister of Provincial and Local Government [Sydney Mufamadi] to intervene and resolve these crises,” read a statement.
North West police said Khutsong had been quiet over the weekend. – Sapa