The Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie has gone as far as obtaining a court order to ensure unhappy members do not disrupt proceedings during the union’s 23rd annual principals’ symposium.
In the lead-up to the teachers union’s annual three-day symposium at Nelson Mandela University’s south campus, two groups of principals, going by the names “Klub 42” and “FBSAOU”, raised concerns about alleged financial mismanagement, among other issues.
The principals wrote to the union prior to the symposium requesting a slot at the event to address the matter with its CEO, Chris Klopper, and president, Louis Swanepoel, in front of the about 920 members who would attend the event.
The union has about 38,000 members.
However, their request was denied on September 6 by Swanepoel, who said in an email response: “[The principals’] symposium is a platform to empower principals and [deputies] . . . and has never [been] a platform where specific labour disputes are discussed . . . as the symposium does not have the capacity to take decisions.”
To ensure no disruptions occurred, the union’s Eastern Cape chair, Jan Strobel, was instructed on Friday by his national office to sign off on court papers at the Port Elizabeth High Court seeking to interdict the respondents from disrupting the event.
The papers were submitted and approved on Saturday, interdicting Klub 42 and its chair, Gerhard Burger, and FBSAOU and its chair, Mauritz de Vries, from disturbing the symposium or its speakers.
Swanepoel said the union sought the court’s intervention as he alleged Burger and De Vries, aided by Michael Pashut, the owner of Minibus Taxis Wanted, would “go out of their way to drive this smear campaign and discredit the leadership”.
“He [Pashut] made scurrilous accusations about the leadership of the [union] misappropriating money, and in general mismanaging the affairs of the [union],” he said.
“To be absolutely fair and transparent, the [union] appointed retired judge Willem Hartzenberg to investigate all [his] accusations.”
Swanepoel said Hartzenberg had indicated that his report regarding his investigation would be available in early October and the union felt that the opportune time to address any concerns would be when it was released.
“Numerous previous meetings were held with the concerned members, inter alia in Ermelo, Bethal and Port Elizabeth, where the leadership tried to put the true facts on the table.
“Meetings had limited success as the concerned members, aided and abetted by Mr Pashut, were not interested in truly solving issues.”
Burger said on Tuesday that he was flabbergasted when he received the court order on Sunday.
“I don’t understand why [the union] felt it necessary to seek the court’s intervention.
“We are adults. We are not going to be protesting and burning tyres just because we are concerned. We simply wanted to talk about the situation,” Burger said. “We respected the court order and did not disrupt anything.
“However, a handful of principals walked out of the symposium today [Tuesday] when Klopper took to the stand to deliver his speech on the state of the organisation.”
Pashut said on Monday: “Why [is the union] hiding behind the courts, what do they want to keep silent?
“I don’t understand why a union would stop its members talking to their leadership about their concerns.”
When a Herald reporter arrived at the event on Tuesday morning asking to interview union members regarding the symposium, union spokesperson Ted Townsend said: “There is no media allowed at the event . . . you will not be receiving any interviews from anyone.”
This, despite The Herald being invited to attend 2017’s symposium.
In e-mail correspondence on Tuesday afternoon, Swanepoel said it was not correct that the media had been barred.
“The media has always been and always will be welcome at the symposium,” he said.
De Vries declined to comment in light of the court order.