NAPTOSA Pays Tribute to Ms Nomzamo Winifried Madikizela-Mandela

NAPTOSA is greatly saddened by the passing of Ms Winnie Madikizela- Mandela. Mr Ntantala, on behalf of NAPTOSA, wishes to pass his sincere condolences to the family of this legend.

Ms Madikizela-Mandela was a stalwart equal to none. Her courage, determination and resilience in the fight against the apartheid regime will always be remembered, especially her selflessness in the face of personal adversity.
NAPTOSA remembers her dedication to the fight for freedom and equality under law that South Africans are enjoying today. She kept hope alive for many during the darkest hours of our country’s history.

Ms Madikizela–Mandela continued to be an advocate for the plight of many disadvantaged communities and individuals in the post-apartheid era. Ms Madikizela-Madela spoke without fear or favour. Her wisdom in many political and social issues will be missed, said Mr Ntantala.

Her determination, activism and commitment to social justice will inspire many for generations to come. South Africa remains indebted to her for the victory over apartheid.

NAPTOSA salutes Ms Madikizela-Mandela for the sacrifice and role she played in the attainment of a democratic South Africa. Her service to our country will always be remembered.
La la ngo qolo comrade Winnie!

The state of Human Rights in our schools

 A GROSS VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Amidst the flurry of well wishes and statements of victory in reminiscing over past injustices inflicted during the Apartheid era, the glaring plight of South Africa’s children remains overlooked and ignored.

We the teachers of NAPTOSA bear witness to our human rights and that of the learners under our care being violated daily.
Our hope for conducive and safe working environments are continually dashed by the under-performance and constant delays in service delivery by the officials of education departments. We have tried to keep hope alive and engage with the departments but our cries have been ignored. We are ignored whilst the situation continues to deteriorate.

‘This is a gross violation of our rights and those of the most vulnerable, the children’, said Mr Ntantala. Teachers and learners are weary of laboring under deplorable infrastructure and safety conditions. ‘When will government start treating learners and teachers with the dignity they deserve?’ he asked.
Violence in our schools is rampant. Hardly a day goes by without reports of teacher on learner, learner on learner or learner on teacher violence. Whilst education departments (Gauteng in particular) are often quick to react where teachers are alleged to be the perpetrators, the same cannot be said where teachers are the victims. ‘Gangsterism in the Western Cape has become another major safety factor in our schools, but despite all these threats, school safety still does not appear to be a priority to education departments’, said Mr Ntantala.

In most provinces, the conditions that teaching and learning are subjected to, are deplorable.
Despite high court rulings and a promise by the national department to have schooling infrastructure targets met by November 2016 we still see lack of water and proper sanitation in some schools, poorly ventilated prefab containers for classrooms, broken chairs and desks and the threat to the health of learners and teachers due to hazardous asbestos facilities, especially in the Eastern Cape.

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Human's Day Message from the Executive Director's Desk

 Good morning colleagues and friends. On this Human Rights Day, I choose to embrace and to promote peace education. I choose to help restore and respect the dignity of others. I choose to provide quality education and to keep on fighting to ensure that our children learn within enabling environments. I also pledge to do my bit to ensure that our children are able to read with comprehension and that they are able to write and to count.

Thousands of schools in SA lack the infrastructure necessary to provide quality education to learners which they are legally entitled to receive.

This is a violation of our children's rights. If we fold our arms and do nothing about it, our children will continue to die in pit toilets. Our children will continue to be dehumanized. We will be equally guilty of violating their rights.

When you celebrate the Human Rights Day, think about our teachers who are teaching in appalling conditions. Think of our teachers and learners who are denied their rights to teach and learn, respectively in safe environments.

" I am because you are"

NAPTOSA REITERATES ITS POSITION ON THE 1% VAT INCREASE

With D-day, 1 April 2018, looming for the increase in the VAT rate, NAPTOSA wishes to reiterate its position adopted in its response to the budget speech of the then Minister of Finance, namely that the increase will impact the poor, but also the “missing middle” income group that includes the teachers.
Having had time for an in-depth reflection on the VAT increase debate, the leadership of NAPTOSA supports the calls for the decision to be reversed.

Had it not been for the years of corruption, wastage and ill-conceived policies that have taken South Africa to the brink of the fiscal cliff, a VAT increase could possibly have been palatable to justify improved and expanded services to the citizens of this country. But then again, there would not have been a need for such an increase if billions had not been lost through sheer greed, poor financial management and the bottomless pit called State Owned Enterprises.

Any opposition action by NAPTOSA alone will, however, have little impact, as would be the case with any other individual organization. If collective and cohesive civil action, as espoused by many organisations, however, come to fruition, NAPTOSA leadership will encourage members to support such action. As always, NAPTOSA will be swayed by the views of the majority of its members.

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