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King Toni Mphephu and Vhembe Executive Mayor Tshitereke Matibe with the high fliers of Vhembe during the awards ceremony.

Vhavenda king and mayor Matibe slam shut-down of schools in Malamulele

 

The executive mayor of Vhembe, Cllr Tshitereke Matibe, and Vhavenda King Toni Mphephu have added their voices to the protest against the fact that schools have not been functioning in Malamulele for the third week running - a matter that has elicited criticism countrywide.

During the Vhembe District Grade 12 excellence awards held at the Christ Worship House last Friday, the two were in unison in calling for the release of school pupils as the protests continue. The area has been a no-go area and virtually all services have come to a standstill for the past three weeks. The mass action has adversely affected the learners in the area, who have not seen the inside of a classroom since the academic year started this year.

Matibe said that, inasmuch as the residents of Malamulele had the right to protest and to want a municipality of their own, it had become a cause for concern that pupils had not been going to school, while those in other areas were continuing with their studies.

"I know it myself; I have been a teacher, and one thing that counts a lot during the year is the optimum use of time, to the advantage of the learners. Loss of time without going to school will, in the long term, affect the quality of their results and of those who would have written supplementary examinations and those seeking admission at tertiary institutions. I have had talks with the leaders of Univen to give special treatment to the students from Malamulele, but we do not know for how long will they wait for them," he said.

King Toni Mphephu Ramabulana also came down hard on protests which affect learners' learning programme. "People have the right to protest, but children also have the right to education. We are greatly saddened by the continued loss of learning time by learners in the name of protests. It is surprising that people do not protest in December, which is the right time as it would not affect schooling. They choose to disturb schooling as it is done during the semester."

He emphasised that education was the key to development and "we would not have good results if children's education is disrupted."

During the event, pupils who worked extra hard and produced distinctions were richly rewarded. They were given cash, certificates and trophies for their efforts.

News - Date: 30 January 2015

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King Toni Mphephu (left) and Cllr Tshitereke Matibe (third from right) hand over a cheque for R25 000 to Vhembe’s top performer, Avheani Maitakhole, during the ceremony. Also in the photo are Vhembe education boss Dr Gerson Rambiyana (right) and Reri's Insurance boss David Mureri, who sponsored the event (second from right)

 

 

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Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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