Posts

These are your stories: schools in trouble!

Here’s a snapshot of some of the reports* on schools we’ve received from the public recently, so you can get a feel for the kind of trends we’re picking up: an “untouchable” principal on Gauteng’s East Rand, a teacher with a dodgy past at a school near Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal who seems to be pilfering Read more >

Problems in North West

Municipalities in North West were hailed by the province’s leadership towards the end of 2012 for meeting auditor-general (AG) Terence Nombembe’s deadline for submitting their financial statements for that year – but what was not revealed at the time was that the achievement came with a R29-million bill for taxpayers. On Wednesday, Mail & Guardian Read more >

Corruption in driving schools: take a stand

Mummy Mangoale approached Boiteko Driving Institute in Pretoria in August 2011, asking about the cost of driving lessons. She met Calvin Theledi, who told her that it would cost her R4 500 to get a Code 8 driving licence. Eager to get started with her lessons, Mangoale arranged to pay the fee in two separate instalments Read more >

Expert: Neo Africa could face criminal charges

The report by Neo Africa will come under scrutiny when whistleblower and former Limpopo Education general manager of budget Solly Tshitangano takes his unfair dismissal fight to court. In its report, Neo Africa cleared senior department officials of irregularities relating to the EduSolutions contract – a conclusion not shared by other investigations. A legal expert Read more >

Unpacking SA’s education crisis – part four

In this, the fourth of our six-part series on the unfolding education crisis, we pick apart the roles and powers of the various investigative and administrative agencies involved with the Limpopo case, and identify what they are doing to resolve the crisis. Media professionals are free to use all copy and photographs from this series Read more >

Metro cops on the spot again

Every day, street traders in Johannesburg are expected to pay bribes to the police: if they don’t pay up, their stock is confiscated and they are ticketed. After they pay the fines, the hawkers find that not all of their stock is returned; most of it is still missing. Last week, on Behind the Headlines Read more >

Another textbooks court battle ‘inevitable’

By Chantelle Benjamin It’s back to court for Section27 and the National Department of Basic Education, with the lobby group saying it will lodge papers in the North Gauteng High Court in the next few weeks after trying “everything not to return to court, but it has become apparent that it’s inevitable”, according to the Read more >

Metro cops face criminal case

The internal investigation into the six Johannesburg metro police officials who were involved in the April assault of two Ivory Park residents has been concluded, the City of Johannesburg has said. The city has confirmed that the six officials are now facing a criminal case for the assault of Andries Ndlovu and Joseph Khumalo, and Read more >

Diary of a whistleblower

While Solly Tshitangano fought a lonely two-year battle, sometimes fearing for his life, the real victims in the sorry saga of Limpopo’s textbooks are the schoolchildren who have lost out half-a-year of education – and will struggle to complete the year successfully. View the full timeline of events here. Solly Tshitangano is a hero; he Read more >