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Malema visits schools on West Rand
29 January 2010 By Sipho None and Keotshepile wa Mogotsi ANC Youth League President Julius Malema recently visited schools on the West Rand to encourage better matric pass rates and assess how the league could help improve conditions in disadvantaged areas. Malema’s entourage included national, provincial and regional youth league leaders, and mayors from local and district municipalities. Musical acts Kwela Tebza and Chomee, of Jiva Sexy fame, livened up the tour. The delegation stopped at Badirile High School and Relebogile Senior Secondary in Khutsong, Carletonville, and then went on to Ithuteng High School in Brandvlei, near Randfontein. It also visited Lodirile and Swaneville schools in Kagiso. The tour followed Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga’s remark that the country’s education system had been plagued by difficulties, which affected learner performance. Motshekga made this statement on 7 January, the day the national matric pass rate was announced. ‘A year of action’International Day of Disabled Persons, observed annually on 3 December, has been promoted worldwide by the United Nations since 1992. Each year, the day focuses on a different issue; this year it focused on “Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities around the world”. Malema received a warm response from Badirile learners and community members, who welcomed him in song. He said his visit “was not to disrupt classes, but to encourage learners to study hard to improve their pass rate”. “I want to tell you that this year we are going to produce 100% because 2010 is a year of action. We must all excel, including Bafana Bafana,” he said. “We must make sure that we do not disappoint the government of President Zuma, a government which must give you free education because we believe that education is a right, not a commodity,” Malema said. The youth league president also urged learners to report unethical conduct at schools. “Teachers who abuse learners must be exposed, and we expect you [learners] to report such behaviour to your school governing bodies or the Department of Education. “… They [abusive teachers] must be exposed and leave teaching. If the relevant structures fail to address this issue, then the youth league will come in to deal decisively with such teachers,” he said. Malema also encouraged matriculants who achieved good results to approach municipal offices in their areas if they needed financial assistance for their tertiary education. Last year Mogale City Local Municipality, through the office of executive mayor Koketso Calvin Seerane, awarded bursaries to 146 deserving and previously disadvantaged learners, most of whom came from Mogale’s rural areas. “Those who did well in exams, but cannot afford to pay tuition fees, must go to your municipal offices and knock at the mayor’s office door. We are convinced that you will be assisted in that regard. “While we expect you to pull up your socks to improve your marks, we want to urge those who did not do well to go back to school and improve your marks, because we believe that you have identified your weaknesses and you’ll be able to correct them,” Malema said. He added that the poor results achieved by Badirile and Relebogile schools were “understandable because we all know that this area has experienced sporadic violence over the past two years”. “We need to work together with teachers and learners and the community in making sure that we turn the situation around at these schools.” Success at Swaneville Seerane and West Rand District Municipality mayor Alderman Faith Matshikiza joined the tour at Swaneville School to offer words of encouragement to learners. Seerane urged the current matriculants to match the results achieved by Swaneville’s 2008 and 2009 classes. “The 2008 matriculants managed to achieve a 100% pass rate and in the previous academic year 95% passed. Our expectation as parents and members of Mogale City is that the class of 2010 will do much better and achieve 110%,” he said. “We want to congratulate teachers, the principal and indeed learners for flying the flag of Mogale City with pride. What is remarkable about your achievements is that most of you are from humble beginnings and come from poverty-stricken families, but you did not let circumstances to hold you back, you were able to achieve well,” the mayor added. Merafong Local Municipality executive mayor Papi Molokoane and Zeph Mhlongo, of the Randfontein Local Municipality, added their voices to the call to improve the culture of learning and teaching on the West Rand. Commitment to help Having assessed the situation at the four schools, Malema made a commitment to improve resources where they were lacking. At Badirile some of the learners were seen sharing chairs and tables, so the youth league leader promised to donate at least chairs 300 to help the situation. At the Lodirile Malema promised to try to fill the empty labs with computers by the end of June. As a token of its appreciation for his visit, the West Rand Regional ANC Youth League presented Malema with a framed portrait of himself. Simon Molefe, West Rand Regional ANC Youth League chairperson, said: “As young people we are very concerned about the appalling situation in our schools as well as the declining matriculants’ results. We sought to bring the president to our region to address the learners and give words of wisdom. “We are happy and we hope that the learners have made some commitment to work and improve their marks. This award to the president [Malema] is a token of appreciation for his visit to the West Rand, and we hope that we will see him visiting our region more often.” A few days later the West Rand youth league division culminated its January school tour with a stop at Mandisa Shiceka High School in Kagiso, where it awarded bursaries to the top matriculants.
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 ANC Youth League President Julius Malema address pupils of Lodirile Secondary School
 Simon Molefe from West Rand Region ANC Youth League and local businesses awarded bursaries to the best matriculants of Mandisa
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