Cosatu asks protector to probe MEC
2011-07-11 20:15
Cape Town - Cosatu has asked the public protector to investigate the 2009 appointment of Western Cape Education MEC Donald Grant as a case of "corrupt cadre deployment" by the Democratic Alliance, provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said on Monday.
"This is a clear indication of cadre appointments gone wrong, where people are appointed for political favours, and have no experience in the area and demonstrate an astonishing level of incompetence after two years in the position," Ehrenreich, an ANC city councillor, said.
He added that by giving Grant the job, Premier Helen Zille had put at risk the future of school pupils in the province, particularly those in poor township schools.
Grant had failed to formulate a policy that would ensure more teachers were deployed in townships and done nothing to tackle poor learner results in the province, he said.
Nor had the MEC considered "the disastrous impact" of budget cuts on special needs schools that resulted in transport becoming the sole responsibility of parents, disadvantaging the poor.
Ehrenreich said Grant had acknowledged that "he knew nothing about education" when he was appointed to Zille's provincial cabinet two years ago and had apparently done nothing to remedy the situation.
"The public protector should investigate whether he is a suitably fit person for the job," he said.
If not, he added, she should order the provincial government to appoint a competent MEC to the position "so that the mismanagement of education can be reversed."
Ehrenreich said he would encourage colleagues in Cosatu to take similar steps against incompetent MECs in other provinces, regardless of party affiliation.
- SAPA
