The Department of Education in the Eastern Cape is considering taking legal action against an employee following comments made during a TV news broadcast.
On Friday, the department distanced itself from comments made by Vuyiseka Mboxela during an interview with Newzroom Africa the day before.
In the interview, Mboxela gave an assurance that the delivery of books will start on Saturday, March 19. She was speaking on the issue after a court ordered the department to deliver outstanding textbooks by the end of March.
Mboxela apologised to people of Eastern Cape about 'the glitch’.
“ I can confirm that there are plans that are being put by the department and I can confirm that the circular has been sent out by the head of the department to all our schools that the delivery will start by tomorrow and it will happen even during weekends,” she claimed during the interview.
However, on Friday, the department said Mboxela was not authorised to speak to the media.
"Ms Mboxela was not authorised to conduct such an interview by the department, and she is not the spokesperson of the department. The department is considering taking disciplinary action against her," said ECDoE Acting Director, Nyameka Tokwe-Mgijima.
She said the department had declined to take Thursday's interview with Newzroom Africa because its DDG had already honoured an interview on the same matter with the channel the day before.
Tokwe-Mgijima urged media houses to direct all queries to Malibongwe Mtima and herself to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Background
Parents, supported by activists, took the provincial education department to court for its failure to deliver books and stationery to over 3 000 schools in the province.
Late last month, the Legal Resources Centre (LRC), representing education organisation Khula Community Development Project and the children and parents from across the province, brought an urgent application to court.
Petros Majola from the Khula Development Project said in the court papers: “Without stationery, learners are unable to function in the school environment. Writing material such as pens, pencils, notebooks, and paper are needed to participate in lessons, projects and homework, and are an essential component of what constitutes a conducive learning environment.”
The court found that the department’s failure to provide textbooks and stationery to all public schools in the Eastern Cape by the start of term on 19 January violated the Constitution. The judge also found that the plan to deliver the textbooks by May 2022 was also in violation of the Constitution.
The department wanted until the end of April for the delivery of the textbooks.
The court ruled that the education department must submit an affidavit within seven days to update the court and the applicants on the progress.
The affidavit must contain the name of each school in the province that had not yet been provided the full complement of textbooks and stationery, and the exact details of what was still needed for each school. The affidavit must also contain the dates for when the materials will be delivered to these schools.
IOL