FFPlus, AfriForum: Lesufi ‘targets’ Afrikaans schools
Political parties and education interest bodies have reacted to
the redeployment of Panyaza Lesufi as the Gauteng education MEC.
On Friday morning, Gauteng Premier David Makhura announced that he decided to move Lesufi back to the education portfolio.
The Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (Fedsas) has labelled the move as surprising and unprecedented.
"If he has been reappointed or moved back as MEC of education, we will have to deal with him as MEC of education," says Fedsas' CEO Paul Colditz.
AFriForum's Carien Bloem expressed disappointment, as the lobby group has hoped that Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who was supposed to take over the portfolio, was going to breathe new life in the department.
"It is a sad day actually we just feel his political game is going to go to the next level, he is still going to target Afrikaans schools and Afrikaans language," says Bloem.
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The Freedom Front Plus's (FFPlus) caucus leader in the Gauteng legislature, Anton Alberts, says it is clear that Lesufi is more interested in playing politics and polarising schooling communities.
Alberts adds rather than building new schools in the province, the MEC targets Afrikaans schools and turns them into English medium schools.
"Some many Afrikaans schools have been transformed into English schools, that there really not enough schools in Gauteng for Afrikaans speaking communities and you cannot force those children to go to English speaking schools.”
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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed the return of Lesufi to the education portfolio.
The DA’s Khume Ramulifho says Lesufi has passion for his portfolio and has capabilities of transforming the education landscape in the province.
"Though we were thinking we are going to be working with Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, we were not impressed. At least Lesufi is back.”