WATCH: Committee member places live basic education virtual meeting on hold

Comments relating to the joint meeting between the portfolio committee on basic education and select committee on education and technology, sports, arts and culture devolved into chaos on Wednesday morning as the country watched live visuals of the committee members struggling to navigate the technology they were using to conduct their virtual meeting.

Lead by basic education director-general Hubert Mweli, the initial focus of the meeting was to brief committee members of the conditions under which schools are expected to re-open in the new calendar month.

However, the meeting was plagued by issues with the sound, intermittent connectivity and the general technological ineptitude of some committee members.

At some point, the meeting was briefly interrupted the constant repetition of an automated call-waiting message emanating from the phone of an unidentified committee member.

One of the committee members placed the entire basic education meeting on hold 🤭 pic.twitter.com/IdKt3JVPCA

— K. S. ✨ (@kayselisho) April 29, 2020

South Africans who tuned in to the stream were not impressed and they wasted no time in making their feelings known on social media.

This basic education presentation is a mess. We even hear dogs bark pic.twitter.com/G7ojFhs9ZN

— Brandon_M (@Joyful_Breezie) April 29, 2020

They also questioned the department’s decision to re-open schools when current conditions made social distancing near-impossible – a question that some committee members also had for the department during the Q&A portion of the meeting.

Basic Education Presentation is a joke.

How are learners and teachers gonna maintain social distancing where there are over +-1000 pupils in schools? +-28 pupils per classroom? #BasicEducation pic.twitter.com/zOe8ZEETvP

— O L E T I L W E 🌻 (@Iam_Kardas) April 29, 2020

https://twitter.com/C_Mbadu/status/1255431425068859396?s=20

https://twitter.com/Pride_Hilfiger/status/1255421361763291138?s=20

Watching Basic Education briefing.
Bathi no class should have more than 40 learners🤣🤣🤣😥. My class has 28 learners and it's overcrowded.

— Pelisa Cossie (@Pheli7812) April 29, 2020

https://twitter.com/C_Mbadu/status/1255433616882044929?s=20

"Breaking news:

3 schools in the Western Cape forced to close after a COVID 19 outbreak."
😭😭😭😭😭😭

I give it a week before we see reports like this. We're going to regret it. 😭

— Rushé (@Rushe_C) April 29, 2020

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