A protest by lobby group March and March is entering its third week outside Addington Primary School in Durban, as the group demands that 40 flood-affected learners be placed at the school. Despite a case of incitement to violence being investigated against the movement’s leader, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, the protest shows no signs of abating.
School Reaches Capacity, Learners Allocated Elsewhere
According to the Department of Education, Addington Primary School has reached its capacity, and the 40 learners have been allocated to schools in other neighborhoods. However, parents argue that this is impractical due to the added transport costs to other schools, which they cannot afford.
Parents Demand Local School Placement
One parent expressed frustration, stating, “We gave them all the supporting documents, but still we couldn’t find the space and they are saying children must be placed at Greyville Primary and for a parent taking a bus to Greyville, how are they gonna afford that and some of these children are as small as grade two or three. We want them in the nearest school, so this is a nearest school to them and that is why we are here.”
Foreign Nationals’ Children Spark Controversy
Another parent alleged that the school is prioritizing children of foreign nationals over South Africans, saying, “The school doesn’t belong to the government or the principal of any political party and the school gives us terms that they will take so many children and we must take all foreigners. Out of more than 1 500, more than 900 children are foreigners, which means South African must be a minority in their own school?”
March and March Vows to Continue Protest
Ngobese-Zuma has threatened to take legal action should school management refuse to register the learners, stating, “We thought that let’s just call the community to donate and buy them a school uniform and put them in the school, it’s their democratic rights and we did that. We bought 26 uniforms and bags and we are just waiting for them to kick them out and we are just waiting for them whatever they want to do.”
About the Author
