Having categorically denied that learners of the Belfast school had been sent home due to a lack of food, the Department of Education rebuffed with the following, “The statement is devoid of any facts and is a clear attempt to score political points at the expense of the learners at Platorand Special School.”

Today the DA has issued a press release where they claim they are in possession of evidence that the school’s service provider is owed more than R170 000.
The DA accuses the Department of Education of a cover-up and calls for the children to return to school.

Below is the DA’s full press release:

“The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga is in possession of evidence that the Mpumalanga Department of Education has lied to the public that they have paid a service provider to supply food to Platorand Special School.

Last week, we released a media statement accusing the department of failing to pay the service provider which led to him suspending his services, forcing the school to send learners home.

In an attempt to cover up their mess, the department quickly rushed to buy food for the school on Thursday morning.
They then publicly denied the allegations to the point that they called the DA ‘liars and politicking by using the special school’.

The department insisted that the service provider had been paid in full and learners were not sent home. On the contrary, the DA is in possession of evidence that the service provider is owed more than R170 000, with some invoices not paid since March this year.

We call on the department and its MEC, Bonakele Majuba, to account for lying to the public, retract their statement regarding the DA, and pay the service provider immediately so that the learners can return to a school that will be able to feed them.

This department is in violation of the Public Finance Management Act by not paying the service provider within 30 days.

Platorand Special School caters for learners with special needs, and such learners are often neglected by this government. The department is the one politicking with the livelihoods of these learners and must account.

The DA has also written to the South African Human Rights Commission, requesting them to investigate possible human rights violations based on Sections 27, 28 and 29 of the South African Constitution.

We will not rest until the needs of these learners are addressed and the department fulfils its legislated mandate.”