SADTU President, Cde Magope Maphila;
Deputy President, Cde Mabutho Cele;
General Secretary, Cde Mugwena Maluleke;
Deputy General Secretary, Cde Nkosana Dolopi;
National Treasurer, Cde Lindiwe Motshwane;
Vice President (Education), Cde Faseega Solomon;
Vice President (Gender), Dudu Nkosi;
Vice President (Sports, Art & Culture), Cde Nolitha Mboniswa;
COSATU General Secretary; Cde. Solly Phetho
Former COSATU General Secretary, Cde Ntshalintshali
General Secretary of the SACP Cde. Solly Mapaila;
The Leadership of SANCO here present;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps and International Delegates;
Distinguished Guests;
Comrades and Compatriots;
Good Morning,
Today, I am humbled to address the 10th National Congress of the South African Democratic Teachers Union, an affiliate of COSATU, our most dependable ally as the African National Congress. I bring revolutionary greetings from the leadership of the ANC, which re-affirms its commitment to the working class, but also to progressive formations of the left within the Mass Democratic Movement.
We acknowledge the commitment to the principles of the National Democratic Revolution that SADTU continues to display, and we recognise your role in the transformation of the education sector and our society as a whole.
Comrade President, and Secretary General,
In my previous life, I was the head of political education after the unbanning of the African National Congress in the PWV Region. With this said, I have had to re-read the theme to deeply appreciate what this congress seeks to address and achieve.
I might be wrong but I have come to understand that there are critical issues that concern you as the union representing teachers and educators in our country, these issues are related to adequate investment in skills that will not only produce globally competitive individuals, but patriotic citizens who will contribute to the growth and development of our country.
In this regard, we agree with you. Hence together over the past thirty years, we have been investing in policies and programmes that are aimed at supporting our teaching fraternity, the children and their families. In your capable hands, we have always trusted that you will usher us to global platforms, where our youth can display excellence because of your contributions to their skills and capacity development.
The Human Resource Development Council of South Africa, which includes the Department of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training among others, is a strategic platform where government addresses some of the human resource and skills concerns, that the labour movement in general is concerned about, and I am happy that the relevant representatives from the Council are present today.
Compatriots,
This conference takes place a day after the national commemoration of Heritage Day, an important day that celebrates our diverse history and heritage, and garners us towards unity in diversity as inscribed in our national coat of arms.
This year’s celebration held in Ficksburg, in the Free State, was dedicated to remembering the heroes and heroines who laid down their lives for our freedom. This celebration forms part of continued efforts by our comrades in government who have led and supported the repatriation process, or homecoming of the remains of many of our fallen comrades starting with those in Zambia and Zimbabwe who are arriving today, amongst them Adv. Duma Nokwe, Florence Moposho and Basil February.
It is noteworthy, that some of the celebrated fallen soldiers went into exile in the aftermath of the 1976 student revolt, a period which epitomised a moment of discontent towards apartheid in general, but the segregationist education laws that disenfranchised Black children in particular. The call to transform education is therefore one that is deeply rooted in the agenda for non-racism, and non-sexism towards a more egalitarian society.
Education has always been at the centre of the development and advancement of the vision of the kind of society we want. You can go back to Africans Claim, the Freedom Charter, Ready to Govern, the RDP and now our Constitution as adopted in 1996.
Therefore, in honouring the journey that SADTU has traversed, we must take a moment to reflect on the process towards your establishment, in particular your success in producing many highly seasoned leaders who have played a critical role in the ANC and continue to do so to date. The formation of the Teachers Union was integral to transforming the sector, but also in uniting the working class under a banner of progressive politics that sought to improve the status of Black workers in particular, and the working class in general.
Indeed the sector has undergone 30 years of concerted efforts to transform the education system, this premised on the South African Schools Act. Of 1996, which promotes compulsory access to quality education for all, and enhances democratic governance in the schooling system.
Guided by the Freedom Charter which advances that ‘The doors of learning and culture shall be opened to all’, President Ramaphosa has recently signed into law, the BELA Bill which is aimed at consolidating gains in education specifically as it relates to Early Childhood Development, non-discriminatory access, diversity and inclusion, and improving school governance mechanisms.
Our celebration of 30 years of democracy is therefore also a celebration of activist teachers and patriotic citizens who have shown commitment to both a sound pedagogy, and the building of a developmental state as conceptualised and envisaged by the ANC through its policies.
Comrades,
The 2024 National General Elections have resulted in the ANC, and the Alliance suffering a serious strategic setback that resulted in us not being able to establish a government on our own and ending up with the Government of National Unity as we have come to know it.
We agree that the GNU is not our ideal choice, but our approach as the ANC, together with the Alliance was to find a way to ensure that we are not derailed from our main goal of transforming our society, including our education sector for the better. As a result, we have to be strategic and ensure that the setback we suffered should not dislodge us from the levers of state power necessary for driving transformation, including the working conditions and better remuneration of teachers.
Having said that, we recognise that we have reached the 100th-day mark since the formation of the Government of National Unity. I am pleased to report that the GNU is still focused on its task of growing an inclusive economy, fighting poverty, reducing inequality and addressing the cost of living as well as building an ethical, developmental and capable state. I want to assure you, that no progressive policies will be changed and the programme to building a National Democratic Society remains on course.
Fellow Compatriots,
Allow me to make some reflections on the future of South Africa, and what we believe it should look like as we forge ahead to another 30 years of a healthy and robust democracy. This reflection is by the way informed by the analysis made by Marx and Engels in the Preamble of the Communist Manifesto where they say – ‘The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.’
We are therefore compelled to be robust in how we think about economic and power relations, at least to the effect that these anchor our shared vision of a National Democratic Society, and the importance to prioritise the building of an inclusive and sustainable economy, as correctly captured in the theme of this Congress.
We are not oblivious to the fact that the state of the labour market over the past few years essentially highlights the impact of the segregated apartheid economy, which largely excluded people based on race, gender and geographical location among other things. This therefore makes the mandate to transform our economy complex.
The employment figures released by StatsSA highlight that unemployment increased to 33.5% in the period April to June, rising for the third consecutive quarter and reaching its highest rate in two years, a grim reality of the lives of South Africans. The number of employed people decreased to 16.7 million in the second quarter, while that of jobless people increased by 158 000 to 8.4 million.
These statistics require that we ask ourselves difficult questions, and find solutions to how we can turn our economy around, reversing unemployment and building inclusive growth.
As a government, we remain determined to tackle unemployment. Through the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), we have established SAYouth.mobi as a zero-rated platform for unemployed young people to access opportunities for learning and earning. Over 4.3 million young people are now engaged on the network and 1.6 million have so far secured opportunities.
Comrades,
I want to also assure you that the GNU’s commitment to protecting and extending labour rights to all workers remains resolute. Our goal is to encourage fixed capital investment, industrialisation, job creation, and the transformation of our people’s lives. We must all strive to promote the goals of economic growth, participation in economic decision-making and social equity.
We should remain intentional in investing in people through education and skills development. As partners at a government level, we must work together to ensure that ours is a stable, efficient, and effective democracy that brings all people together.
The government is prioritising social compacting as an avenue to address some of the persistent challenges we face in our country. As the Alliance, we must advocate for a comprehensive social compact through social dialogue, as a political practice rooted in the tradition of the Mass Democratic Movement, and has proven to be invaluable, especially during periods of transition.
The government is therefore committed to public participation and social partner engagement to find solutions to the overarching challenges of the economy, unemployment and inclusion, service delivery, social protection and sustained campaigns against corruption, sexism, racism and homophobia.
We envisage that through a National Dialogue process, we are afforded an opportunity to do two things.
Firstly, to build the social contract between the government and the people in the wake of the election campaign and the outcomes thereof. By listening and engaging with citizens through this process, we hope to engender trust and hope for the future and win support for the National Development Plan and its implementation by the seventh administration through the Medium Term Development Plan.
Secondly, we see the National Dialogue process as an opportunity to secure commitments from stakeholders who can carry a mandate to collaborate with the government to achieve common goals. Your role in this regard is imperative in mobilising the motive forces and professionals in particular towards this programme.
Among other things, through the national dialogue, we aim to initiate fresh conversations that tackle relevant and unresolved issues that affect most South Africans, particularly the working class and marginalized in our society.
We believe that developing a solid strategy for economic transformation should be at the centre of our dialogue to address the stubborn challenges of poverty, inequality, and unemployment.
Comrades,
In conclusion, as the ANC and the Alliance, we should, at no point abandon our commitment to the ideals of no-racialism, non-sexism, democracy and egalitarianism. We are still guided by the Freedom Charter, we are still guided by the attainment of a National Democratic Society, and we will never be deterred.
We wish SADTU well as it continues with its Congress and look forward to the Declaration of this Congress.
Thank you, Ha khensa, Inkomu!
AMANDLA NGAWETHU!