Two teachers, on their way to school, were allegedly assaulted by North West community members. Picture: Wokandapix/Pixabay
The Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) in the North West has condemned the attack on two teachers in Masamane in the North West.
Two teachers from Dingateng and Mathateng Primary Schools in Masamane village were allegedly assaulted by protesting community members on Wednesday.
The teachers were on their way to school when they were attacked.
“Such moral decay must be nipped in the bud before matters get out of hand. Stern action must be taken against anarchists responsible for the abhorrent and despicable conduct that has not only undermined the said educators’ human rights but their dignity as well," said Pastor Lesiba Kgwele, convenor of the MRM Provincial Interim Committee.
Kgwele called on communities to protect teachers from opportunistic and disruptive elements that have no interest in their children’s education.
"Those responsible must be held accountable in order to entrench a culture of zero tolerance to violence in our schools as well as communities and respect for the rule of law."
The civil society-led organisation called for an in-depth probe into the protracted protests that culminated in senseless violence and the swift resolution of grievances.
He said the probe must, among others, inquire as to whether authorities had intervened timeously to address grievances that were at play because two months of lost learning and teaching time was also not unacceptable.
Community members were reportedly not happy about the appointment of assistant teachers and general assistants.
They were also not happy about the sanitation in the local schools.
“They must get to the root cause of the conflict because educators cannot be victimised for external issues that are beyond them, such as the water shortage in this heatwave.
"The challenges of educator assistants and general assistants must also be speedily resolved to minimise the impact the disruption might have on learners end-of-year performance," he said.
He called for urgent mediation to de-escalate the conflict and return the situation to normality.
Kgwele said the Moral Regeneration Movement’s Charter of Positive Values is opposed to any form of physical, emotional, or psychological abuse or ill-treatment of another human being.
IOL