/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, yesterday morning (15 November) introduced the new feeder zones for schools in Gauteng at a media conference in Johannesburg. These new feeder zones, which cover a spacious radius of 30 kilometre in and around schools in Gauteng, are reason for great concern because it will include even more learners than what schools in these allocated areas can currently accommodate. Moreover, in certain cases these also exclude learners who have previously lived within a kilometre radius of specific schools. These learners will now be compelled to attend schools much further from their homes because the new radius stipulates this.
 
Lesufi said that these amended feeder zones for Gauteng schools had finally broken the back of apartheid and that schools would be accessible to all learners from 2020 onwards, irrespective of their financial or social circumstances.
 
AfriForum strongly opposes these regulations for new feeder zones and believes that it is nothing more than another attempt by Lesufi to address the obvious lack of schools in Gauteng. His political agenda remains a strong focus point and he polarises communities to the detriment of everyone in Gauteng through incessant allegations of the so-called exclusion of learners.
 
“The influx of more learner applications from various quarters will also increase pressure on single-medium Afrikaans education. Subsequently, more schools will have to allow for double-medium education, which will eventually spell the end of quality mother-tongue education,” says Carien Bloem, AfriForum’s Coordinator for Education.
 
“It also poses logistic challenges to schools and parents in terms of transport and after-school care, which is inconsistent with Lesufi’s vision to make schools more accessible to all learners and to give learners the opportunity to participate in a variety of extramural activities,” Bloem adds. “At first sight these new divisions seem beneficial and to accommodate a diverse Gauteng. However, we will only be able to observe the true impact of the new division when the school registration process for 2020 commences – which will by then be too late.”
 
AfriForum urgently requests schools and parents to appeal the newly-proposed feeder zones within 90 days by emailing feederzoneappeals@gauteng.gov.za.
 
The feeder zones can be viewed at www.gauteng.gov.za.
Regarding the legal opinion on amendments to the Gauteng school regulations that AfriForum has already obtained, the civil rights organisation can once again confirm that it will do everything in its power to oppose these amendments.  
 

Issued by AfriForum