‘We won’t stop soon’ — Education Crisis Committee say 'no to budget cuts' in Western Cape schools picketing

Aliyah Chickte, one of the group from the Education Crisis Committee, outside the Western Cape on 13 September 2024. (Photo: Lisakanya Venna)

By Lisakanya Venna

13 Sep 2024

A teacher and community movement gathering steam in the Western Cape protested against the cutting of teaching posts, and vowed to continue fighting especially for ‘poor’ schools.

A protest against the cutting of teaching posts took place at the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) offices on Friday, 13 September, where members of the Education Crisis Movement joined together with pickets to say “No” to the cuts.

The Education Crisis Movement, which consists of a range of teachers, unions, organisations and Western Cape community members, began protesting, following the announcement by the MEC David Maynier earlier this month to cut 2,407 teaching posts in the province by 2025 due to a R3.8-billion budget shortfall.

KwaZulu-Natal is also struggling to fund 11,092 educator posts due to a R4-billion budget shortfall, forcing reductions in school payments and delayed payments to service providers. Mpumalanga faces a R876-million budget pressure, while the North West needs to find R485-million to address its shortfall.

The Northern Cape has removed a significant number of vacant posts, but still grapples with its budget gap. Gauteng will scale back learner transport and put Early Childhood Development expansion plans on hold due to budget constraints.

Read more: Call to action against Western Cape teacher job cuts, while MEC Maynier says situation is ‘critical’

Organiser Simone Cupido said: “We are here for the revision of the budget, one that stops the loss of 2,407 jobs in January next year… This is also taking bread off the table, teachers who are on contracts will now lose their job in January, and this is a time where there are student teachers who can’t be given posts.’’

Abeedah Adams during a heated conversation with Bronagh Hammond, the Western Cape Department of Basic Education's Director of Communication, on Friday, 13 September 2024. (Photo: Lisakanya Venna)

Picketing supporters

“We’ve had over 12 schools having pickets in front of their schools between 7 and 8 this morning, and at those pickets teachers have shown their support for this movement, and protested and gone on with regular programming of the schools at 8, because they do not want to disrupt education. The budget cuts disrupts education enough.”

“My mother is a teacher, so that is probably one of the big pushing factors. She is a teacher who has been worried about job cuts in her school for a very long time because the pressure that they are under is incredible.”

At the thought of her mother possibly losing her job, Cupido stated that it “would be incredibly troubling”. “As a teacher, her salary has carried not only my family but my extended family… For her to lose that job would mean hunger within the family.’’

“She is a passionate teacher, who cares about the students deeply, and so I feel for those learners in her classroom, they will miss the opportunity to get education and a quality education,” Cupido explained.

Picketers from the Education Crisis Committee opposite the Western Cape Department of Basic Education. (Photo: Lisakanya Venna)

Job cuts impact

Abeedah Adams, also an event organiser, shared similar concerns. “I always use the multiplier effect. Every one person who loses their job, if you take it into consideration, 2,407 teachers are going to lose their livelihood and multiply that with ten, 24,000 people will be affected.’’

“Also, the women who stand on the road selling sweets, if I am going to cut down on my expenditure, other people are then affected in that chain… It is the livelihood of 2,407 teachers but it is also the extended families and the extended communities who depend on their support.’’

Read more: Call to action against Western Cape teacher job cuts, while MEC Maynier says situation is ‘critical’

Bronagh Hammond, Western Cape Department of Basic Education Director of Communication, who came outside the offices to address the protesters, said, “We understand the concerns of teachers. We had to make a decision to reduce our basket of posts by 2,407 due to the fact that we cannot fund our wage bill at the end of each month.”

“We are there with our teachers, we are fighting for them and have taken this up to National DBE, as well as National Treasury, to try and get more funding,” she told Daily Maverick.

“This is not just a Western Cape issue unfortunately; it’s across a lot of the other provinces which are also struggling financially. And we hope that after those engagements that we will get some positive feedback in terms of some financial support from National Treasury in this regard.”

Aliyah Chickte, one of the group of Education Crisis Committee protesters, on 13 September 2024. (Photo: Lisakanya Venna)

Confrontation over cuts

The Daily Maverick interview over job cuts became heated when Adams confronted Hammond, asking: “How in your right mind can you say that you are going to continue cutting? You are making representations to the National Government. You were not aware of this.’’

“This provincial government is run by the DA, who supported the National Treasury with the budget cuts. How can you now say you are making representations to that? Also, yesterday in the Parliamentary debate, the minister responsible for education and the Premier is making it as if the civil service wants more money.”

Read more: ‘Our children deserve better’ – Opposition parties decry Western Cape’s plan to cut 2,400 teacher posts

“And you know what schools are being affected?”

“It is our poor schools, it is the schools in the working class communities, which means our children are not going to get education in mathematics and science. There are already now as we speak, before the budget cuts, there are teachers sitting with 60 learners in a class.”

While trying to answer, Hammond kept getting interrupted by an influx of questions from Adams. She went back inside the building saying: “You are playing politics.”

The Education Crisis Movement will hold an assessment planning meeting on Saturday, 14 September, with a possible continuation of the protest on Thursday, 19 September. DM

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Picketing supporters

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