Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has been urged to prioritise education when he delivers his State of the Province Address (Sopa) in Beaufort West on Wednesday.
Winde will deliver his Sopa as Cosatu, parties and civil society groups are expected to stage a protest outside the venue against the Western Cape Education Department’s teacher cuts.
GOOD party secretary-general Brett Herron said education in the Western Cape was in crisis.
“The GOOD Party calls on the provincial government to prioritise education and save teacher posts. Education is not just a line item in a budget; it is the foundation of a just and equitable society,” Herron said.
He said the GOOD Party supported Cosatu’s call for a stay away in the Western Cape on the same day Winde delivers his Sopa.
Herron also said the Western Cape government must confront the urgent failures that continue to undermine the safety, security, and dignity of its residents.
“Lofty promises will no longer suffice, people deserve real, tangible action.”
He added that the Western Cape’s multi-billion-rand safety plan, designed to halve the murder rate in ten years, is at its halfway mark.
“Yet, from 2019 to 2024, the murder rate has surged by 14.32%. Despite massive financial investment and years of political rhetoric, communities remain under siege by violent crime.”
Cosatu provincial secretary Malvern de Bruyn said Winde should put a stop to cutting more than 200 teacher positions in the province.
He said the provincial government should move funds from other departments to fund teachers just like they did when they took money form education to finance the province’s safety plan.
Build One South Africa spokesperson Roger Solomons said his party will protest alongside a number of political and community organisations outside the Western Cape Premier’s State of the Province Address.
Solomons said the protest was an ardent call for an immediate end to the cutting of teacher posts and for greater budget allocation toward hiring educators in the province.
“These cuts directly threaten the future of our young people by increasing classroom sizes and reducing the quality of education. Premier Alan Winde’s administration must prioritise investment in teachers rather than undermining the very foundation of our education system,” he said.
ANC deputy chief whip Nomi Nkondlo said Winde should prioritise fixing local government and ensure service delivery.
Nkondlo accused the DA-led provincial government of playing a direct role in destabilising municipalities, leading to misgovernance in municipalities where the DA does not enjoy the majority.
“The people of the Western Cape deserve functional municipalities that are not partisan, but work for all, “ Nkondlo said.