SADTU KZN would like to join the National Working Committee in their statement delivered on behalf of the National Executive Committee. We re-affirm the NEC decision on the vote of no confidence to both the outgoing Minister of Education and her henchman,

A special National Executive Committee of SADTU has expressed its loss of confidence in the minister of basic education in leading the department and ensuring the protection of collective bargaining – a critical right we have as workers which should be protected at

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of SADTU has given the minister of Basic Education until Tuesday, 26 February to pay all the markers for the 2011 and 2012 marking sessions according to the 2011 collective Agreement which offered the markers a 100% increase. This was one of the decisions taken at the first meeting of the NEC for the year held in Kempton Park from 22 until 23 February

SADTU welcomes the State of the Nation address by State President Jacob Zuma. The speech has met some but not all of the Union’s expectations. We welcome in particular the final explanation by the president that the government is not intending to declare education an essential service. This is important in a sector that is crying for dynamic leadership at the level of the department.

SADTU would like the State President Jacob Zuma, in his state of the nation address tomorrow, to declare education a public good where government will do the following:

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union fully recognises the importance of education in the development and prosperity of the country and its citizens. We welcome the fact that our government has declared education as an apex priority and a societal matter. We support and strive for quality public education. However, we don’t believe that education should be declared an essential service – writes Mugwena Maluleke, the General Secretary of SADTU

SADTU will make an urgent request for a meeting with the ANC to seek clarity following media reports that the ANC NEC Lekgotla took a decision to propose to government that education be declared an essential service.

SADTU Limpopo Province is shocked and dismayed by the decision of the Limpopo Department of Education to unilaterally terminate rural allowance to educators with effect from January 2013.

Schools effectively re-opened on the 09 January 2013 and as a common practice, SADTU visited several schools as part of its back-to-school campaign. It was encouraging to observe that many learners of school going-age reported on the first day of school. We still call on the few remaining parents, guardians and community members to ensure that all school going-age learners are registered with their immediate schools.