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ZIWAPHI • VOL 4 NO 6 • 26 MARCH - 8 APRIL 2010

NELSPRUIT

The stink of the matric exam scandal that hit Mpumalanga last year has left national education department officials at loggerheads with the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu).

The union’s Mpumalanga branch has accused minister of basic education Angie Motshekga of illegally disbanding the provincial exams unit.

In January, Motshekga announced that the unit would cease to exist and the administration of exams taken over by the national education department, after five papers were leaked in October last year.

“We are calling for the reinstatement of the 60 employees of the provincial examination directorate, pending a formal inquiry into the leaking of matric exam papers,” said Sadtu provincial secretary Walter Hlayise.

“A proper inquiry into the nature and source of the problems was never conducted but the national department nevertheless decided that a takeover was the best course of action. We are calling upon the minister to halt the activities of the national team and recall [national exams chief director Nkosi] Sishi and his team,” Hlayise said.

Sadtu also claimed that it had the support of provincial head of department Mahlasedi Mhlabane.

“This arbitrary decision was arrived at without due consideration of the legal framework that was supposed to guide the processes. The Mpumalanga department, through [Mhlabane], conceded that the move by [the] national [department] was illegal,” said provincial Sadtu chairperson Solwako Mahlangu.

He said Sadtu was angered that a team from Motshekga’s office was running the unit without any proper infrastructure, accusing it of conducting supplementary exams from the “boots of their vehicles and hotel rooms”.

“The manner in which the supplementary examinations were run was a disgrace. For example, learners wrote a geography paper without maps. It is a clear indication that the demobilisation of the employees in [the] examinations [unit] was a mistake,” Mahlangu said.

“Since the arrival of the national team, the 60 employees are paid to do nothing. These employees have gained skills and experience while working in examinations ... skills and experience that will now go to waste,” Mahlangu added.

He called it “wasteful expenditure” that the national exam team would have to employ new people who will have to undergo training at additional costs.

Sadtu has also accused some members of the national team of seeking retribution after being previously employed in the province but failing to make it to the higher ranks of the provincial department.

Provincial department spokesperson Jasper Zwane would not deny or confirm that Sadtu had Mhlabane’s support.

“We have noted the statement that Sadtu has issued but the matter involving exams is already before court and therefore it is not advisable for us to comment,” he said.

Spokesperson for the national department Granville Whittle failed to respond to written questions sent to him on Friday. Sishi was also not available for comment as he was in a meeting.