Education Minister Naledi Pandor and African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema met behind closed doors in Boksburg on Tuesday, to discuss the worker strike at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).
Malema emerged from the meeting walking side-by-side with the minister.
Malema told journalists that the league was satisfied with the progress made at TUT. He said an agreement that could lead to the reopening of the institution could be reached before the end of the week.
Asked about tensions between the minister and Malema, ANC Youth League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said: ”There is no tension at all.”
He explained that Malema had apologised to the minister following his remarks that the minister was a ”spoiled minister” and spoke in a ”fake accent”.
Malema told students and striking workers at TUT that the minister should use her ”fake accent” to address problems at the institution. He sent an apology to Pandor the next day.
”I acknowledge that the remarks I made against you were uncalled for and might have disappointed and hurt you,” it read.
”The minister has accepted the apology and we are continuing … the tension has been ironed out,” said Shivambu.
Shivambu said the meeting was to discuss the strike and the education programme adopted at the league’s congress.
Education spokesperson Lunga Ngqengelele said the minister had met both the union and university management in a bid to resolve the strike.
Workers went on a wage strike at the beginning of the academic year. — Sapa