The Lenasia-SADTU elections meeting scheduled for last Wednesday was hastily abandoned amid allegations of death threats, lack of financial accountability, irregular promotions for union officials and claims that a current Branch leader was suspended by the Gauteng education department on charges of sexual harassment and later reinstated.
Several local teachers anonymously contacted The Rising Sun complaining that the teachers’ union is “fast losing its way” and is no longer the “democratic organisation it once used to be”.
“It’s being run by a clique that’s only interested in promoting themselves and their pals into senior posts in local schools,” they claimed.
It is alleged that at a joint meeting of SADTU members from Lenasia and Ennerdale held in Finetown recently a local Branch leader threatened that “we will burn, necklace or kill anyone who intends contesting against us in the coming elections”.
When SADTU members challenged the death threatening remarks they were told that the “meeting is not interested in their comments”.
Last week, Salaamedia radio station presenter, Ebrahim Gangat, interviewed SADTU General-Secretary, Mugwena Maluleke, about the death threats that members in Lenasia were receiving. Maluleke condemned such behaviour and promised to send two officials to oversee the elections process. The two officials never came.
Apparently, the present local SADTU leadership also has not submitted financial statements to its members for the past eight years.
It seems that the election meeting last Wednesday was “deliberately collapsed” when the current Branch leadership realized that it had no support.
Members demanded the financial statements and minutes of the last tri-ennial general meeting, which were not presented.
SADTU members speaking on condition of anonymity demanded “free and fair elections” and “financial accountability”. They said that the SADTU “jobs for pals” campaign must be ended if public schools in Lenasia are to be improved.
There are also reports that a local SADTU Branch leader was earlier this year suspended on allegations of sexual harassment of five female learners but was “suspiciously reinstated” by the education department amid threats that SADTU leaders are mobilising scholars to march against the principal who initiated the disciplinary process against the SADTU official.
Frustrated SADTU members are calling on their national leadership and progressive community leaders to intervene urgently to “stop the rot” in the local branch.
“SADTU has a proud democratic tradition that must not be eroded,” they argued.
The local SADTU Branch Executive Committee could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print.
Have a story? contact a reporter on 076-235-1764 or call into the Rising Sun offices on 011-852-0842. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for more news.
The post SADTU Elections Abandoned Due to Death Threats appeared first on Rising Sun Lenasia.