End of the road for Angie?
THE ANC wants criminal charges to be laid against whoever is found to have been responsible for the "shocking and unacceptable" nondelivery of textbooks in Limpopo, but the party remains very cautious on pronouncing if this would also apply to Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.
The party's secretary-general Gwede Mantashe yesterday said stern action must be taken. He said, however, that it was only a report that could pinpoint if Motshekga is the guilty party or not.
"The president has asked to push for the final report. That report should be the basis for any action to be taken, including action against any person found guilty of any misdemeanour," said Mantashe on the outcomes of the party's national executive committee (NEC) lekgotla held at the weekend.
President Jacob Zuma appointed various task teams to investigate that province's textbook debacle.
Mantashe said while the party does not want to micro-manage government, the process should be accelerated for the ANC to make a decision.
There has been growing pressure for Zuma to fire Motshekga. The ANC Youth League joined Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi in the same chorus.
Brushing off the calls, Mantashe said: "Sometimes there is a temptation of calling for the expulsion of XYZ even before you actually establish the facts. Let's get that report, take action on the basis of facts and a systematic report."
He did admit that the nondelivery of books was a serious government failure.
ANC leaders who attended the lekgotla that started on Thursday all agreed this year's nondelivery of study material meant the government had failed to honour the right of every child to education.
"The fact that there were no books ordered in December 2011, no books were ordered and there was no budget for buying them was the first sign that there was a crisis. The slowness in this crisis and waiting for the next financial year bordered on recklessness," said Mantashe, who was accompanied by the party's spokeswoman Jesse Duarte and Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga.
The NEC resolved that multi-department logistics be set up to monitor the delivery of books until the 2013 school year, and for national Treasury to work with the department to avoid a situation where there were excuses about the non-availability of resources.
Instead of outsourcing companies to deliver books to schools, it was decided that Motshekga's department would from now on have to do the job itself.
Last week Zuma moved to defend Motshekga.
Weekend reports suggested he did this again at the lekgotla when the NEC recommended that she be sacked.
Zuma could compromise his re-election in Mangaung, Free State, in December should he remove Motshekga from her post because Motshekga is the leader of a powerful voting block within the party - the ANC Women's League. - nhlabathih@sowetan.co.za
ANC wants action over books debacle
End of the road for Angie?
THE ANC wants criminal charges to be laid against whoever is found to have been responsible for the "shocking and unacceptable" nondelivery of textbooks in Limpopo, but the party remains very cautious on pronouncing if this would also apply to Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.
The party's secretary-general Gwede Mantashe yesterday said stern action must be taken. He said, however, that it was only a report that could pinpoint if Motshekga is the guilty party or not.
"The president has asked to push for the final report. That report should be the basis for any action to be taken, including action against any person found guilty of any misdemeanour," said Mantashe on the outcomes of the party's national executive committee (NEC) lekgotla held at the weekend.
President Jacob Zuma appointed various task teams to investigate that province's textbook debacle.
Mantashe said while the party does not want to micro-manage government, the process should be accelerated for the ANC to make a decision.
There has been growing pressure for Zuma to fire Motshekga. The ANC Youth League joined Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi in the same chorus.
Brushing off the calls, Mantashe said: "Sometimes there is a temptation of calling for the expulsion of XYZ even before you actually establish the facts. Let's get that report, take action on the basis of facts and a systematic report."
He did admit that the nondelivery of books was a serious government failure.
ANC leaders who attended the lekgotla that started on Thursday all agreed this year's nondelivery of study material meant the government had failed to honour the right of every child to education.
"The fact that there were no books ordered in December 2011, no books were ordered and there was no budget for buying them was the first sign that there was a crisis. The slowness in this crisis and waiting for the next financial year bordered on recklessness," said Mantashe, who was accompanied by the party's spokeswoman Jesse Duarte and Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga.
The NEC resolved that multi-department logistics be set up to monitor the delivery of books until the 2013 school year, and for national Treasury to work with the department to avoid a situation where there were excuses about the non-availability of resources.
Instead of outsourcing companies to deliver books to schools, it was decided that Motshekga's department would from now on have to do the job itself.
Last week Zuma moved to defend Motshekga.
Weekend reports suggested he did this again at the lekgotla when the NEC recommended that she be sacked.
Zuma could compromise his re-election in Mangaung, Free State, in December should he remove Motshekga from her post because Motshekga is the leader of a powerful voting block within the party - the ANC Women's League. - nhlabathih@sowetan.co.za
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