A war of words has erupted between the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Equal Education, the NGO campaigning for the provision of scholar transport to 12 schools in Nquthu.
Kwazi Mthethwa, spokesperson for the department, accused the non-profit organisation of using the plight of poor pupils to attract publicity. This was in response to EE members staging a protest outside the department’s offices in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday and another outside the Durban City Hall on Wednesady.
In Pietermaritzburg police were called to disperse the crowd while the Durban protest was peaceful, culminating in the screening of a short documentary highlighting the long distances some of the pupils in Nquthu have to travel to get an education.
“It is clear that they are making the lives of these young people a joke by parading them in their films. This is nothing but a cheap gimmick,” said Mthethwa.
He said the protest action was misplaced as a court process was under way. “They ran to court but now they are undermining that very same process.”
Earlier this year, EE took the department to court in a bid to force it to provide transport for the Nquthu pupils.
EE spokesperson Luyolo Mazwembe said the protest was meant to put pressure on the department and to raise awareness about the plight of many rural pupils who have to walk long distances. “If they say we are seeking attention, yes, we are seeking attention, not for ourselves, but so that the public is aware of the plight of these children.”
The film will also be screened in Cape Town next month.
Mazwembe said EE would only consider settling out of court if the department presented a clear scholar transport plan with time frames.
Mthethwa said the department “will continue to im- prove the lives of pupils with or without these people calling themselves Equal Education”.
He said scholar transport was provided to thousands of pupils across the province.