Education MEC, Fundile Gade, is still refusing to appear before a special sitting of Education Portfolio Committee to answer questions on the irregular R160 million contract with Sizwe Africa IT Group, six weeks after his initial refusal to be held accountable. If the MEC is adamant that the procurement was all above board, why is he hiding? Surely if there is nothing untoward about the contract, then there would be …
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The Department of Education has apparently wasted millions of rands, paying exorbitant amounts for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for schools, which illustrates once again how the Eastern Cape is becoming the epicentre of Covid-19 corruption. After many attempts to obtain the truth from the MEC for Education, Fundile Gade, through means of parliamentary questions, and asking him directly in a portfolio committee meeting, the costing of PPE distributed to schools …
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Education department’s disciplinary processes in shambles
June 19th, 2020 The Department of Education’s disciplinary processes are in shambles, with a complete lack of urgency to deal with disciplinary issues, and questionable outcomes when the matters are finally concluded. In response to a parliamentary question, Education MEC, Fundile Gade, confirmed that 61 employees have been suspended with full pay over the past three financial years (2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/2020). SEE: IQP 26 Q 634 The charges against these employees include …
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Learners not in safe hands under the Department of Health
June 15th, 2020 The Democratic Alliance is extremely concerned for the safety and well-being of learners in the Eastern Cape after provincial schools were placed under the custodianship of the Department of Health. The Eastern Cape Department of Health is itself in chaos and has proven itself unable to manage its own response to the current Covid-19 crisis. Placing the task of custodianship of schools in their hands places the lives of learners …
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The Eastern Cape Department of Education is an outright embarrassment, that seems more interested in awarding tenders to ANC Cadres, than they are about ensuring the safe return of learners who have lost more than two and half months of school. In a presentation on the weekend, Premier Oscar Mabuyane said that, as of Friday, 3197 of the 5105 schools still had not received any Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for …
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MEC Gade ducks and dives questions on controversial R160 million Sizwe Africa contract
May 22nd, 2020 The MEC of Education, Fundile Gade, and his Department must be summoned before the Education Portfolio Committee to answer questions regarding the contract with Sizwe Africa IT Group, after showing blatant contempt for portfolio members during a sitting yesterday. I have never before witnessed such contempt from a member of the executive, who has chosen to rather act unconstitutionally and break his oath of office than simply answer questions regarding …
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Today I have opened a criminal case against the Department of Education relating to the awarding of a R160 million contract with Sizwe Africa IT Group, to supply the department with an e-learning platform and tablets for Grade 12 learners. The case has been opened against the Department of Education, and the Head of Department, Superintendent General, Themba Kojana. Dowload pictures here and here Education MEC, Fundile Gade, initially refused …
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The DA in the Eastern Cape condemns the R160 million contract that has allegedly been awarded to the Sizwe Africa IT Group by the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE). It is alleged this happened without a competitive bidding process taking place. The Sizwe IT Africa Group is owned by known ANC acolyte Iqbal Survé. Mr Survé has long been embroiled in having workers’ pension money pumped into his failing …
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Thousands of learners in the Eastern Cape have relied on the School Nutrition Programme (SNP) for, in many cases, what has been the only meal they receive in a day. In extraordinary times, we need to take extra ordinary action to ensure that parents are able to feed their children, as opposed to listening to their cries of hunger. Since the closure of schools amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of …
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Education MEC has no idea what his department is doing
March 11th, 2020 At the heart of a capable state is a government that is aware of the quality of services they produce, alive to the needs of their citizens and responsive to the issues that they face. Any government that fails in this respect will never be capable to deliver on its mandate. The Eastern Cape Education MEC, Fundile Gade, clearly has no idea what his Department is doing, nor does he …
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