Court dismisses Maimane’s bid to halt reopening of schools
The High Court in Pretoria has dismissed One South Africa Movement leader Mmusi Maimane's application to halt government’s decision to reopen schools amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Maimane approached the courts over what he believes to be a lack of proper measures by the Department of Basic Education to secure the safety of pupils at school during the outbreak.
But on the Wednesday the court found that there's no legal requirement for coronavirus protocols to be submitted to court for approval.
One South Africa Movement spokesperson Dipolelo Moime says they’re disappointed at the outcome.
“As the movement itself we are disappointed. It’s one of the fights we wanted to fight right until the end.
“That’s the court decision and we respect it.”
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Young North West teacher strangled to death
Spokesperson for the provincial education department, Elias Malindi, says the young woman was allegedly strangled to death. "She was originally from Makgobistad Village near Mafikeng and was a Life Science teacher at Makoba Secondary School. "After completing an Education degree in 2018 at the North West University, Mafikeng Campus, she joined teaching at the beginning of 2019," Malindi said.
The court further ruled that the plans submitted by government indicate that adequate provision had been made.
“We are still studying the judgment and at this point in time I cannot provide any directive on a way forward,” he said when asked about a possible appear.
On Tuesday, the department confirmed that 755 schools have been closed due to the pandemic, 523 pupils are infected while 1 169 teachers and staff members have also contracted the virus.