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The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] is currently intensifying its national strike in all the Technical and Vocational Education and Training [TVET] and Community Education and Training [CET] across the country.

As NEHAWU, we have noted with disgust the arrogance of the Director General who instead of resolving the current dispute he has elected to use court interdicts as a strategy to weaken our strike. Instead of vacating his position he has deemed it fit to use police to intimidate our members in the picket lines. Our members will not be deterred by the highhandedness by the DG and the principals of certain colleges. Our members are very resolute and they vow not to succumb to the tactics of Mr. Gwebinkundla Fellix Qonde and his principals.

In actually fact, our members have mandated the national union to intensify the strike action up until DHET and the Minister addresses our issues. We have noticed that DG and his Principals in some colleges were trying to use the writing of exams as a bargaining tool to weaken our strike and that has dismally failed.

NEHAWU remains steadfast in its call for the DG to resign with immediate effect and we will not meet him as he is at the centre of the problems that are currently engulfing the sector. The department has been aware of our demands as far back as 2015 hence we find it flabbergasting that they are now surprised that we have ran out of patience and we demand immediate attention to our demands.

The national union calls on the department to immediately address the reorganization of the examination unit which includes printing off all outstanding certificates and diplomas for college graduates. The backlogs in issuing delays to TVET students causes negative lags in the training and development of previously disadvantaged students as they are unable to access internship opportunities resulting in the delay in accessing job opportunities. Situation is now very bad in such a way that those students who should be receiving diplomas after successful completion of in-service training are also affected.

The union as part of intensification of the strike will be embarking on various programs to push the department and Minister Naledi Pandor to address our issues including mobilising all our members and workers at the national office of the department to join the strike in solidarity with the workers from TVET and CET colleges.

Issued by NEHAWU