On Tuesday, the federation stood in solidarity with the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU), which led a spirited protest march to the National Treasury and the Departments of Basic and Higher Education in Pretoria.
The demonstration, marked by determined chants and placards bearing strong messages, was held in response to government-imposed austerity measures that SADTU says are severely compromising the quality of learning, especially in under-resourced rural communities, township schools, and institutions supporting children with special educational needs.
Speaking at the march, COSATU President Zingiswa Losi underlined the urgency of protecting public education from fiscal tightening. “Education remains the single most powerful tool capable of transforming the life of a black child,” she told supporters. “Any attack on it is an attack on the future of this country.”
SADTU has raised alarm over what it views as an ongoing erosion of educational infrastructure and staff capacity due to funding shortfalls. The union argues that such cuts disproportionately impact already-marginalised schools, further entrenching inequality in a system still grappling with the legacies of apartheid.
Addressing the crowd, a union representative issued a sharp warning to authorities: “If you cut funding for education, you are cutting our future. And if that future is threatened, we will not hesitate to bring the country to a standstill. We’re done asking, we are now demanding real investment in our children’s education.”
--ChannelAfrica--
