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 Department of Basic Education (DBE), in response to a DA statement yesterday   that the DBE must be held accountable for losing a R7.2 billion grant to address schools infrastructure backlogs, chose to deny the claims and accuse us of ‘fabrication’.

DBE spokeswoman Hope Mokgatlhe reportedly stated that:

The department of basic education will not comment on the statement released by the DA... [We have] not yet received the treasury's final letter of allocation for this period, and will therefore treat the report as a fabrication.

We kindly refer the DBE to page 43 of the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement  presented by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on 25 October 2012 stating the following:

As a result of slow spending on the schools infrastructure backlogs grant, R7.2 billion has been taken away from this programme over the medium term. These funds will be used to increase the education infrastructure grant to provinces and the community library grant, and to support the construction of new universities in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.

As stated yesterday it is unacceptable that funds will now be reallocated as a general infrastructure grant to provinces – rather than being earmarked to address urgent school infrastructure backlogs.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga must explain to the Portfolio Committee how R7.2 billion earmarked for improving school infrastructure can go unspent. She must also explain to every learner attending an unsafe mud school exactly how the promised 49 schools this year, the promised 100 schools in 2012/13 and the promised 346 schools in 2013/14 in the Eastern Cape will be delivered without grant funding to address backlogs.