Johannesburg – Residents have voiced their thoughts on the national shutdown and the closure of public schools in the Weilers Farm area, near Lenasia.
Department of Basic Education (DBE) spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said schools were not affected by the EFF-led national shutdown because Monday was a special school holiday.
The decision was made two years ago and was in line with the Policy on School Calendar Determination.
Gauteng residents expressed their views on the holiday, saying the government did not want to face the facts and acknowledge the impact of the school closure, with some of the residents raising concerns about the future of learners if the shutdown went on longer than a day.
Resident Bulelwa Dludla said this was not a normal day in South Africa and it was scary to witness.
“Although some of the citizens are happy that there is a national shutdown and they’re on a long weekend holiday, they might not know the impact it will have on the country and the future of our children because this is the first time we see other parties contesting to remove the current president without elections.
“As a parent, I am really concerned about my children’s future because if the EFF decides to continue with the march, it will negatively impact the progress of our children in public schools.
“We all know that their children will not be affected in any way because they will be homeschooled, and where does that leave us? By now our children should be in school and learning, but they are busy playing, and we don’t know if this is really a one-day shutdown or if it will continue throughout the week,” she said.
Mathapelo Kala, a resident and a teacher, said everyone was worried about the outcome of the shutdown
“Activists came out in numbers at midnight, and they were blowing whistles to wake people so that they would also partake in the march, but only a few people engaged.
“The future of our children is concerning because whenever these things happen, they are also affected, but if you look at the private schools, they already have means for teaching and learning, and probably by now they are all attending virtually, but our children in public schools are at home, and there were no means to ensure that they grasped knowledge.
“As a result, the productivity of our learners is questioned whenever they don’t produce good results, forgetting that whenever the country is facing squabbles, they are the ones who are affected, and there are no ways to ensure that they get knowledge virtually,” said Kala.
Sibusiso Mabhena, a resident, said that he did not allow his children to go outside and play today and considered this family time.
“The reason why I am not allowing my children to go out is because by now they should be in school and not roaming around the street. Therefore, I really hope that this national shutdown ends today.
“We have to go back to work, and our children need education. These fights between political parties must come to an end, and they should be settled in Parliament without involving us because it impacts our livelihoods negatively,” Mabhena said.
“Some of us work for bosses who tell you that no work, no pay, so imagine if the march continues. How are we going to survive? Our children’s future is threatened daily, and the president must step down and let others rule because he keeps failing us.”
He said, however, that the shutdown it was necessary because people were tired of prolonged load shedding as well as empty promises from the president.
The Star