26/02/2026
In his address, the Regional Chair of Zuluboy Moloto Region (SADTU) firmly confronted the critical challenges confronting educators within Ngaka Modiri Molema District. His address set a resolute tone for the meeting — reaffirming that SADTU remains steadfast in defending the rights of workers and ensuring quality public education for all.
Today we gather under the banner of SADTU not merely to deliberate, but to confront injustice with courage and clarity.
We raise our voices against the continued imposition of the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) in its current form — a system that many workers experience as burdensome rather than beneficial. Health care must be a right that protects educators, not a mechanism that deepens their financial strain. We demand worker-centred medical scheme that responds to the real needs of educators and their families.
We stand firmly with our Grade R educators. We condemn the inhumane practice of terminating temporary teachers without security or clear justification. This revolving-door employment system is not only unjust — it destabilizes schools and robs learners of continuity and quality education.
We reject the unilateral imposition of subjects such as Tourism in schools without proper consultation and due process. Transformation cannot mean chaos. Introducing a subject without providing the necessary human resources, qualified educators, and adequate Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM) is a recipe for failure. It places unfair pressure on educators and compromises the very learners the system claims to serve.
We speak out against unfair labour practices that have become normalized — the expectation that teachers must work abnormal hours without remuneration, sacrificing their personal lives and safety. Educators are not volunteers in a system of exploitation. We are professionals. Our time, our labour, and our safety matter.
Comrades, the time has come for educators to stand up collectively against exploitation within the Department of Education. Silence only strengthens injustice. Unity is our weapon. Organization is our shield. Discipline is our power.
Let us refuse to be overworked, undervalued, and unsafe. Let us defend our rights with the same passion with which we defend quality public education. When we stand together, no force can ignore us.
