Deputy Speaker, hon members, on 15 March 2011 the Minister of Basic Education, the hon Angie Motshekga, informed the NA of Cabinet's decision to intervene in the running of the Eastern Cape department of education. We congratulated the Minister and expressed the hope that she would be strong enough to see the action through.
Azapo informed the Minister about previous interventions, including the fact that they had all died a natural death, as problems continued even after the task teams had left. Eight months have passed and it looks like nothing has changed. We hear of regular standoffs between the national team and provincial departmental officials. As a result, service delivery is being hampered.
We reiterate what we have said, namely that the decision to intervene was a good one. Azapo says that politicians and officials in the Eastern Cape should not be allowed to play games with the future of our children. For the sake of our country and the children in the Eastern Cape, we call upon government to strengthen the hand of the Department of Basic Education in order to stop the rot. The Eastern Cape is part of South Africa and it should not be allowed to act like a breakaway republic.
The reality is that as certain people continue to play games, the children of the Eastern Cape are suffering. Why is the tail being allowed to wag the dog? Who is benefiting from the mess?