Latest news with #SouthAfricanDemocraticTeachers'Union
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
From Classroom to Cabinet: David Mabuza's journey from teacher to Deputy President
Former deputy president David Mabuza dedicated educator and political strategist, leaves behind a legacy of influence in South African politics, remembered for his quiet strength and commitment to national development. Born on August 25, 1960, in the rural heartlands of Phola, Mpumalanga, David Dabede Mabuza began his journey as a schoolteacher and activist in the Black Consciousness movement. Fondly known as 'The Cat', Mabuza climbed the ranks to chair the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (1988-1991), paving his way into provincial politics after 1994. Mabuza was a dedicated activist, seasoned educator, and astute political strategist whose journey through South African politics reflected both steady advancement and notable influence. He began his career in education, first as a teacher and later as a principal. Early on, Mabuza became a prominent organiser within the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU), where he emerged as a key figure in the late 1980s, advocating for teachers' rights during a turbulent political era. Following the end of apartheid, Mabuza deepened his involvement with the African National Congress (ANC), assuming a series of leadership roles in the Mpumalanga province. He served as MEC for Education and Housing before being appointed Premier of Mpumalanga in 2009, a position he held until 2018.
IOL News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
SADTU halts work-to-rule protest in KZN as Education Department pledges to make outstanding payments
The South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) in KwaZulu-Natal has suspended its province-wide work-to-rule campaign following a meeting with the Department of Education. Image: Independent Newspapers Archives The South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) in KwaZulu-Natal has suspended its province-wide work-to-rule campaign following a meeting with the Department of Education earlier this week, where the department committed to paying outstanding school allocations and resolving examination disruptions. SADTU said the meeting with Head of Department, GN Ngcobo and his top management followed engagements with the Premier, who pledged R900 million in emergency funding to address the ongoing education crisis. 'The mere commitment by the Premier to assist the department with R900 million does not automatically remove the reality that schools have no money and are waiting for the allocation from the department,' the union stated. According to SADTU, the department committed to making payments to schools by July 4 and July 31. 'Upon receiving the Premier's committed money, the employer will make payments to schools,' the union said. In addition, SADTU confirmed that the department would address the backlog in 2024 basic and Learning and Teaching Support Material allocations as it receives its equitable share from the National Treasury. The union also welcomed the revised mid-year examination timetable, which resumes on June 18. 'Schools that do not have the necessary resources to administer the June examination will be assisted by the department through printing enough examination papers for all affected schools,' SADTU said, adding that it supports the revised schedule. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ However, SADTU criticised the department's policy on compulsory common tests for underperforming schools. 'Forcing schools to write common tests undermines the intellectual capacity of teachers who teach but get denied the opportunity to assess their learners,' the union said. It further challenged the department's assertion that high-performing schools requested to write the tests, saying 'this is far from the truth as schools are forced to write these tests.' The department's internal memo dated June 17 confirms that schools with a 2024 NSC pass rate of 85% or less 'must adhere to the revised common test programme' while those above 85% that 'voluntarily requested' to participate must also comply. 'The writing of common tests is costly to the Department and remains unjustifiable, especially during this financially challenging time,' SADTU noted. The union said the department agreed to convene a meeting by June 27 to discuss standardised testing. In conclusion, SADTU announced the suspension of its work-to-rule action. 'The union leadership will continue to have meetings with the department as a way of monitoring the implementation of the decisions and commitments done by the employer,' it said. 'We thank our members for their commitment… Everyone knows that without their effort and dedication on the picket line, we would not have scored these victories for our schools.' THE MERCURY
IOL News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Sadtu calls for urgent measures to address youth unemployment
The South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) said it salutes the youth of 1976 for their bravery, unity, and undying spirit. This year's Youth Month is observed under the theme: 'Skills for the Changing World – Empowering Youth for Meaningful Economic Participation.' To fully grasp the significance of 16 June, one must understand the bleak landscape of South Africa in the 1960s and early 1970s. This day pays tribute to the brave young people who, on June 16, 1976, rose in protest against the apartheid regime's imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in black schools. Armed with nothing but courage and stones, they confronted the brutal machinery of the apartheid state. Many were killed, arrested, and injured, but their resistance ignited a wave of defiance that accelerated the struggle for liberation. According to Statistics South Africa's Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the first quarter of 2025, youth unemployment remains alarmingly high. The total number of unemployed youth rose by 151,000 to 4.8 million. At the same time, the number of employed youth declined by 153,000 to 5.7 million. This pushed the youth unemployment rate from 44.6% in Q4 of 2024 to 46.1% in Q1 of 2025. The union said this year's theme resonates with its 10th Congress theme which emphasise the strengthening of foundational learning and functional skills to advance inclusive and sustainable economic growth. 'For many young South Africans, skills for the changing world are out of reach. Many lack access to quality education and skills development opportunities. Others, despite having qualifications, find that job opportunities are few and shrinking,' the union said. The union said it calls on the private sector to rise to the challenge to:. Invest in quality education and training that responds to the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Expand access to vocational, artisan, and technical training. Support youth entrepreneurship and innovation. Prioritise youth employment in both public and private programmes. 'As SADTU, rooted in the education sector, we reaffirm our commitment to support initiatives aimed at skilling the youth. But beyond just skills, we advocate for a holistic education system that builds caring, tolerant, patriotic, and socially responsible citizens. To fail our youth today is to betray the sacrifices of the 1976 generation. Let us honour their legacy by empowering today's youth to shape a better tomorrow not from the margins, but from the centre of our society and economy,' the statement concluded.
Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Trump ambush a sideshow, as South African investors focus on coalition
FILE PHOTO: A street vendor sells fruit as members of the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) participate in a protest march against budget cuts and austerity measures in public education in Pretoria, South Africa, April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ihsaan Haffejee/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Members of the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) participate in a protest march against budget cuts and austerity measures in public education in Pretoria, South Africa, April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ihsaan Haffejee/File Photo FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump meets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo JOHANNESBURG - For investors, the spectacle of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's fraught Oval Office encounter with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump was little more than a sideshow. The true test for Africa's most industrialised nation, they say, will be whether its coalition government can survive long enough to bolster lacklustre growth and contain debt. As Trump confronted Ramaphosa on Wednesday with false claims of white genocide and land seizures during a face-to-face meeting at the White House that was broadcast live, back home South African politicians were finally uniting behind a budget. Though it took three attempts, agreement on the spending bill puts to bed, at least for now, a tug-of-war that earlier this year threatened to destroy the fragile political union and had sent the rand toward record lows and bond yields spiking. The drawn-out budget saga was a painful episode for South Africa's government of national unity (GNU) - its first significant attempt at a governing coalition in the country's 30-year history as a multiracial democracy. A breakup of the GNU, which includes the African National Congress and longtime rival Democratic Alliance, would have derailed the reform momentum investors have been calling for. But risks still remain, investors told Reuters. "I'm looking for the coalition to stay together. That's the most important thing," said Shamaila Khan, head of emerging-market fixed income at UBS Wealth Management. "For now the coalition is in place, but it's a shaky coalition. So you want to be careful what you buy and make sure there's enough risk premium there." INEQUALITY, UNEMPLOYMENT AND DEBT RISKS For the past two decades, South Africa has struggled to achieve growth high enough to make a meaningful dent in gaping inequality and an unemployment rate that ranks among the world's highest. Public debt, meanwhile, has shot up as the government has failed to rein in runaway spending, prompting credit rating downgrades. For investors overall, most of the budget is market-neutral, said Kim Silberman, macro strategist at Matrix Fund Managers. "The risk is that it's unlikely that the debt will stabilise this year," she said. The revised budget, stripped of a contentious value-added tax hike, which the fiscally conservative DA had opposed, puts this year's deficit at 4.8% of GDP and lifts the peak debt ratio to 77.4% in 2025/26, up from 76.2% in March ahead of a decline. But much of the plan hinges on higher revenue collection and cost-cutting, with analysts predicting a challenge ahead. The "real work now begins", JPMorgan said in a note to clients on Thursday. 'LESSONS WERE LEARNED' National Treasury officials told an investor call on Wednesday that South Africa is committed to fiscal discipline and maintaining credibility. They also place significant faith in the South African Revenue Service, which recently received additional income. SARS has indicated it could generate an extra 20-50 billion rand (1.1-$2.8 billion) annually, which is currently not pencilled into the next budget but would enable Treasury to withdraw planned tax increases down the line. In an interview with Reuters, however, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana warned that missing the revenue target would force substantial cost cutting. Navigating the fragile balance between shoring up finances while keeping on board all the GNU's various coalition partners - some of whom, like the ANC and DA, embrace radically different ideologies - will be a balancing act for policy makers. "Local politics play a big role," said Brendan McKenna, an executive director at Wells Fargo, who covers emerging market economies and currency strategies. If the coalition government is preserved, which is McKenna's base scenario, South Africa may gather more robust growth momentum and local markets could maintain their solid performance. "Should the GNU disintegrate, growth prospects would dwindle and (the rand) would come under pressure. The possibility of recession would rise and stagnant medium-term growth would likely be a result," said McKenna. Treasury officials acknowledged the increased political complexity when speaking to investors. The first two budget attempts collapsed under a kind of political turbulence not seen in democratic-era South Africa until the ANC, the party of the late Nelson Mandela, lost its 30-year parliamentary majority in last year's election. "The budget was the first significant piece of legislation that the new government had to consider," Treasury officials said. "Important lessons were learned." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
