LOUIS TRICHARDT – Outrage over the name change controversy in the province is threatening to turn the ongoing school crisis in Louis Trichardt into a full-blown scandal.

"Exactly how serious is the provincial government about education for the previously disadvantaged population?

"Are the political leaders using the name-change issue as a means to divert attention from the fact that in more than five years they dismally failed to bring about any meaningful positive change in those areas where it really matters, namely in education, health and welfare, safety and security and general economic upliftment?"

These questions are now widely debated in Louis Trichardt where it transpired this week that the local municipality has at yet not had any response to its urgent appeal and open-handed offer of assistance to help the Department of Education to resolve the desperate schools crisis in town.

The very real possibility that the politicians are trying to camouflage the failure of their dubious prioritisation by using the emotional issue of blatant racist name changes to drum-up support in their neglected constituencies, is reverberating throughout the province, after it came to light that the proposed changing of names propagated and forcefully rushed through by provincial and municipal political leaders, will cost the people of the province in the region of R40million.

"They are willing to blow R40 million on a name change spree, but they are not able to pay their electricity accounts or supply school books in time because they say they do not have the money. They also do not have money for extra schools, for a decent ambulance service, and staff to ensure humane treatment for the weak and elderly at pension pay-out points, but they have time and money to waste on the changing of the names of proud and prosperous towns which they did not plan or developed," is an argument now frequently heard where ever the name change topic is under discussion.

In most of these discussions the average resident of Louis Trichardt town has no big problem with the changing of the name of the Province. "That is a fairly neutral issue for the majority of residents of the province to decide." But the changing of the name of a particular town, like Louis Trichardt, without any visible effort to consult the majority of residents of the town itself, is causing massive resentment.

Observers point out that the provincial government's high handed management style and its inability to get its departmental administrations effectively operational, together with its outrageous lack of meaningful and realistic prioritisation, have added on to the economic misery of the majority of inhabitants and is seriously jeopardising the establishment of a culture of learning and motivating meaningful aspirations for the youth of the province.

On the educational front there are schools complaining that books ordered in 2000 has at yet not been delivered by the Department of Education, even though the matter was repeatedly brought under the attention of both the Director General and the MEC's Office.

At the Masedi School in Louis Trichardt, an electricity bill for which the Department is responsible, has after more than a year not been paid. The future of pupils at that school, who wished to study computer science, is being jeopardised by the Department's lack of responsible action.

"A shortage of money is the general excuse for the lack of delivery in a province which has R40 million to squander on an ill advised undemocratic fiddling with the sentiments of its taxpayers," commented one irate taxpayer.

When approached about the schools crisis, which was identified by the managing mayor as a top priority issue in Louis Trichardt, the Municipal Manager of the Makhado Municipality, Mr Reuben Rambado said no response has at yet been received from the Department of Education about Council's repeated offer of a free serviced stand and considerable financial assistance to the Department to erect the desperately needed additional school in the town.

Mr Rambado said: "Education is not the primary responsibility of the municipality, but because we are in profound sympathy with the need of the community in this regard, we have repeated our offer to the Department. We wrote several letters, amongst others to the area and regional managers as well as to the Departmental Office. What transpired was a response from the Area Manager who was willing to add his inputs in our request and offer to the Department. We have as yet had no response from the Provincial Department of Education on this issue."

Mr Rambado said he could not comment any further on the topic but asserted that the mayor's commitment to give priority treatment to the schools crisis is still standing.

"Without a commitment from the Department, however, there is nothing which we can do," Mr Rambado said.

In the mean time a special Council meeting has been scheduled this week to decide on the names issue.