Today, a joint meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Education, Sport, Arts & Culture and the Portfolio Committee on Finance, Economic Development & Tourism agreed to the DA’s request to summon the members of the executive council for Education and Finance, Abraham Vosloo and Venus Blennies, amidst a general breakdown in schooling in the Northern Cape.
These two must come and explain the financial chaos that currently reigns at Northern Cape schools.
Since the Northern Cape Department of Education stopped disbursing critical funds to schools, in many cases since before September 2024, schooling has suffered. The financial crisis worsened at the start of the 2025 academic year when the department only committed to partial payment of outstanding funds and failed to pay educators properly.
The repercussions for school feeding schemes, learner transport, school sport and other critical aspects of education have been immediate and devastating. Schools are facing threats of disconnection of their electricity supply, hostels have been unable to feed learners in their care, and some schools have shut their doors entirely.
We are glad that members of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature understand the urgency of this matter and agree that we need to hold the executive to account for failing to provide access to quality education for all our school communities.
The DA will continue to fight for a quality education for all learners in the Northern Cape.