Several teachers at Dr Böhmer School in Bloemfontein claim that their careers were destroyed after they blew the whistle on financial mismanagement. And the undertaking by the national Minister of Education, Siviwe Gwarube, to probe the matter has come to nothing but a deafening silence.
The teachers claim they were accused of racism and sexual harassment without evidence. They were subsequently suspended and their professional reputations tainted.
According to the teachers, they have been trying to get the Free State Department of Education to investigate the matter for years, but to no avail.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) in the Free State escalated the matter to Parliament so that the national Department of Basic Education can see to it that the Free State Department of Education takes appropriate action.
On 5 May, the Freedom Front Plus contacted the Minister, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, through her personal assistant.
Thereafter, on 20 May, the party submitted a written question to the Minister, which she replied to on 24 May. According her reply, she had not been aware of the situation, but has since initiated correspondence with the provincial Department.
Minister Gwarube promised to keep the Freedom Front Plus informed of any new developments and stated that her office will arrange a meeting.
She also pointed out that racism and sexual harassment at schools is utterly unacceptable – a conviction the Freedom Front Plus shares, which is precisely why false accusations is such a serious matter.
On 9 July, the Minister’s personal assistant contacted the Freedom Front Plus and requested more details. He also stated the party is welcome to follow up on the matter at any time.
On 13 August, the Freedom Front Plus was informed that the matter had been formally referred for inquiry and that the party would be notified of any developments.
Since then, the Freedom Front Plus has not received any updates and the party’s attempts to follow up have been unsuccessful. WhatsApp messages and phone calls remain unanswered.
The Freedom Front Plus is not at liberty to assess the merit of the case. What does set alarm bells ringing, though, is the Minister’s silence. The Freedom Front Plus will formally request feedback in writing this week, but in light of previous correspondence, this should not be necessary.
The damage suffered by the affected individuals is irreversible. At the very least, they could demand a formal investigation to prove their innocence.
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