Minister of Basic Education (
@DBE_SA
) in the Republic of South Africa. 🇿🇦 Former
@Our_DA
Chief Whip in Parliament. Unrepentant feminist. An eternal optimist.
With my predecessor, Ms Angie Motshekga, at the Swearing-In Ceremony this morning. 😊
I look forward to sitting down with her and receiving a comprehensive handover. Fresh ideas are critical, but continuity is also important.
Ms Motshekga is your incoming Minister of Defence.
Thank you all for the well- wishes! Being appointed the Minister of Basic Education
is a massive responsibility that I do not take lightly.
The future of the country rests on how well this department that I lead does its work.
For now, I am still Minister-designate until
After 37 years of service
#NoxoloGrootboom
is retiring. What an absolute legend she is! I’m glad the country is celebrating her immense contribution. She certainly remains a fixture of my childhood; watching IsiXhosa news at 7pm.
Enkosi ngogalelo lakho, we are richer for it 🙏🏾
This week the 3rd term begins. With only 53 school days in the term, it’s critical that we ensure there are no disruptions to learning.
We need all stakeholders (communities, SGBs, trade unions) to help us guard teaching and learning time jealously.
Welcome back, everyone!
What an incredibly special morning at Bayanda Walaza’s school this morning. They arranged a hero’s welcome for him and I got to share in this moment.
It was a privilege to hand over this medal over to his Mom; the wind beneath Bayanda’s wings.
Siyavuyisana nawe, Bayanda. We
Today the 7th Democratic Parliament elected the Speaker of the National Assembly - Ms Thoko Didiza and its Deputy Speaker - Dr Annelie Lotriet.
Today is a good day, South Africa 🇿🇦 🏛️
Nothing messes me up more like hearing how Bathabile Dlamini & Pearl Bhengu blew R16 million for a dubious meeting in KZN which had nothing/ little to do with SASSA or Social Development. It takes a special kind of person to steal money from an entity meant to serve the poor.
It’s been a grueling 24 days of intensive negotiations.
I can fully understand the anxiety many people are feeling. I do want to remind us that many coalition governments around the world are negotiated over months. That is why it was so important to me that I introduce
Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes. While I’m spending the day in a Cabinet Lekgotla, my new colleagues sang for me. Which was both embarrassing and really sweet. 😊
Nani ni-sweet. Ndiyabulela.
Looks like I’m going to enjoy my Youth Endala era. 🥹
Welcome back to all our educators, staff and learners across the country.
It’s an important term. It sets the tone for the final term of exams.
Let’s kick off the 3rd term on a strong note, shall we?
I asked
@DrZweliMkhize
whether the EC Scooters were suitable patient transport. He confirmed that they don’t meet EMS regulations but contradicts MEC Gompa by saying they are for delivering chronic meds, not transporting patients. Why the bed, drip stands & the R10m price tag?
Today has been difficult.
We lost 11 learners earlier this week in a horrific car crash. They were all in primary schools in Carltonville.
In addition to the support that’s been given to them by the municipality & Gauteng Dept of Education; it was important for me ndiyovela.
This infuriates me. Mbalula casually tells people they lied in Parliament about Jacob Zuma’s plundering of public money eNkandla. Makes light of it; says ‘kunzima u-defenda ubuxoki’.
As the ANC implodes, I hope we all see they never cared about SA. Saze sagezelwa as a country.
“We defended Former President Zuma, we even went to Parliament and said a swimming Pool is a fire Pool, The Constitutional Court led by Mogoeng Mogoeng released a judgement against Jacob Zuma but the ANC stood by him, today Zuma says he can't stand President Cyril Ramaphosa” ANC
25 years later and the ANC has no shame about walking into people’s homes whose lives haven’t changed but worsened over the years, only to hand out t-shirts and flyers.
It’s an insult. It’s heartless.
South Africans deserve so much better than this.
#RegisterForChange
This is a lesson to the people in this ‘bubble’ who fell for the EFF’s expedient defense of VBS. They claimed to be protecting a ‘black bank’ when in fact they were protecting their piggy-bank. They wanted to shamelessly steal from the poor with ease.
#VBSBankHeist
Premier, surely you can’t just ‘instruct your team’ to spend public money without any procurement processes being followed. Whatever your feelings are about the programme, you can’t just ‘instruct’ people to use money that isn’t yours. The PFMA exists for a reason, you know this.
I fully agree. I’ve since instructed my communication and marketing team to immediately sponsor this show. This is not television but nation’s call
#Sizokthola
I am pleased to have been elected as the Deputy Chief Whip in Parliament following our internal caucus election today.
Looking forward to working hard to make Parliament the center of the people’s business. There’s so much more that the national legislature can be doing for SA.
Plans already afoot to accelerate these plans.
It’s heartwarming to see how many public and private partners are prepared to come on board so we can eradicate these toilets. This is not only about safety; it is also about dignity of both learners and educators/ staff at school.
Following the horrific incident in Katlehong yesterday where two learners were allegedly abducted by gun wielding men with pangas - I have engaged with the Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu this morning for urgent investigation by the SAPS. Additionally, I have spoken to the MEC in
I am absolutely devastated by the passing of James Selfe. A dear friend. A great mentor. A wealth of knowledge and incredible stories. A constitutionalist. A man who loved his family, his dogs and a good glass of wine. Kufa ndini! You have robbed us. You have robbed Sheila and
We brought a motion to Parliament to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate
#PhalaPhalaFarmGate
. The House voted on it this afternoon:
DA -✅
EFF - ✅
IFP -✅
FF+ ✅
ACDP ✅
PAC ✅
ATM ✅
UDM ✅
ANC and GOOD voted against the motion; ensuring Parly fails it’s obligations.
On Tuesday the 30th of April 2024, I had the honour of being awarded a MSc in International Development degree by the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (
@SOAS
).
It’s an honour to join an illustrious Alumni notably Walter Rodney, a revolutionary Pan
Can these men stop weaponizing
Gender-Based Violence against each other in this elaborate and disgusting pissing contest!? What’s happening in this
#SONAdebate
is an insult to the millions of women who are victims of GBV at the hands of people who sit in and outside this House.
AbaPhathiswa kwiSebe lezeMfundo 🇿🇦📚
The Minister of Higher Education and I are in the NCOP this afternoon to deliver our department’s budgets.
@DBE_SA
has a particular interest in the role of the NCOP since over 80% of the department’s budget is allocated to provinces as key
Before one even considers the cost of these things or the reasoning behind getting mobile units to navigate ‘bad roads’ of the province;
did anyone stop to ask about the dignity of the people who are sick, on a drip, who will have to be transported in a wheelbarrow? Ikiriva?
After decades of not having a local soccer team to support (local or otherwise) I am happy to announce that I have taken the leap. I am now officially a
@Masandawana
supporter. I will do my homework; know the players by name; watch their games; be sad when they lose - the works.
To kick off my ‘Listening and Learning’ tour of the education sector; I met with the 5 teacher unions today. An important stakeholder. I was heartened by the commitment to work together; find lasting solutions to the problems dogging public education in SA.
I met with
I closed off
#MandelaMonth
at the Tiny Tots Early Child Development Centre.
Universal access to quality ECD education is one of the key priorities of this administration.
It was lovely spending the morning reading to and meeting the Poonkies at the centre. And being able to
Incoming Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele; Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana catching forty winks during this afternoon’s plenary sessions.
All I ask is that we please relieve them in 2024. Badiniwe. Sekwanele.
Welcome to Coalition Country, South Africa.
This is why it was always so important to pass the Bills I tabled in 2021 in Parliament; to create a legal framework for local, provincial & national coalition governments.
These will need to be revived in the 7th Parliament. But
This morning, I joined thousands of women and men outside of Parliament to protest against the untenable levels of GBV in this country. One of the speakers concluded her speech by saying: so many women here are asking the question:
#AmINext
, again?
What a smack by reality 😔💔
Today I took my oath of office.
I pledged to serve the people of South Africa well and undertook to uphold the values of the Constitution.
Now the real work begins.
The people of South Africa deserve nothing less. ✊🏾
#6thParliament
Today I received the heartbreaking news of the horrific death of 12 learners and their scholar transport driver.
My heart bleeds for the loss of their lives and the pain their families are going through. I extend my heartfelt condolences.
I have spoken with MEC Chiloane, who
I’m laying my original bestie to rest this week. UMama.
To say I feel slightly lost in this world without uWushekazi would be an understatement.
To the scores of people who have lost loved ones in the last while, I hope you find comfort. Akuhlanga lingehliyo. 💔
Nah bro. You claimed the DA- led government is segregating patients on the basis of race. Instead of saying that - historically, during Apartheid, the hospital was built like that. The remnants of apartheid infrastructure is all around us. Why mislead the House and lie to SA?
@WCHealthMEC
. Please do not over-react. There are still two structures there at Tygeberg Hospital. One was for blacks and the other for whites. They exist. What does not exist any longer is the segregation of patients. That is the reality. You might not like it.
Vodacom’s kowtowing to the EFF is truly pathetic.
The EFF sent their supporters to trash stores, traumatize staff at those places and instead of pressing criminal charges, Vodacom goes to account to EFF and I suppose grovel. Justifying the criminality.
Corporate SA, grow up.
Thank you all for the well-wishes. It’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly. SAns are jobless & many are crippled by poverty. Parliament can’t be detached. It must be the center of the people’s business. My predecessors started the work, now to continue.
AmaWushe ayabulela.
I’m still blown away by what
@DA_KZN
was able to pull off izolo. What an absolute vibe!
But what is clear to me is that in
@MayorPappas
; the province has a formidable candidate.
I look forward to seeing what this team is able to achieve on the 29th of May.
🗳️🇿🇦😊
So proud of my constituency in Nyanga for trebling our support from 3% in 2021 to 12.8% last night. This is despite our candidate being threatened & his home attacked. Plenty work still to be done to improve the lives of people pha. But for now, mandiyoxhelela abantu bam igusha.
I have formally tabled a motion of no confidence against the Speaker, Mapisa - Nqakula.
A special sitting of Parliament must be called for motion to be deliberated and voted on.
Mapisa- Nqakula’s ‘special leave’ is not catered for by the rules. She must resign or face a MONC.
Game Day:
This afternoon the Deputy Minister,
@ReginahMhaule
and I will be delivering the Budget Vote for
@DBE_SA
in Parly
In the context of dwindling public funds, we must make bold, evidence - based, outcomes- driven decisions in the sector.
It cannot be business as usual.
My home province 😊
Nothing inspires me more than this. 10 or even 5 years ago, you could have never imagined the DA having a massive footprint in the middle of rural EC. Today, it is the political home to so many across the country and the only real hope for change
#KhulaDA
It may seem dramatic when I say many of our problems as a country emanate from the inability/ refusal by the ANC to distinguish between party & state. It may seem trite to constantly point it out. But it’s a key principle. Party. State. There’s a reason for them to be separate.
An incredible breakfast meeting with the Duchess and some pretty amazing South African women unpacking some serious political, social and economic problems facing us today.
The Duchess hosted among SA's finest women activists, legislators on issues of gender equality & women's empowerment.
"For all young women organizers,
activists today, you must keep at it and know that you are working for this generation and the next..."
#RoyalVisitSouthAfrica
I got my first
@Masandawana
supporter’s jersey today. My people who support my recent decision to join this phenomenal team truly warm my heart. (The bitter ones should focus on winning trophies 😏).
I’ll be rocking this for the 1st match of the league against
@KaizerChiefs
😁
It’s been a grueling election campaign. 5 months on the road; in various provinces and communities while still juggling wrapping up the 6th Parliament.
Showing up for all of that is an administrative & logistical Herculean task. But this lady ran my life and kept me sane
No,
#LoadShedding
is a product of the ANC’s mismanagement of the utility and endemic corruption. That’s why we are here. The system is collapsing due to years of tinkering and no real change.
Minister
@DrZweliMkhize
, please intervene here.
The mayor is either totally misguided or something terrible is about to happen to that emergency fund that’s now headed to Cuba for a ‘vaccine’.
Misinformed leaders from any sector are dangerous and counterproductive.
#COVID19
It is important that
@DrZweliMkhize
makes public all contracts entered into by all 9 provincial health departments. Let’s see the names of companies; board of directors; history of their work and status of delivery. The Gauteng debacle is only the tip of the corruption iceberg.
The DA has weighed in on the growing scandal around the Gauteng
#PPEtender
, involving some high-ranking government officials.
@ThembiMrototo
spoke to Siviwe Gwarube, DA Shadow Minister of Health.
#eNCA
Courtesy
#DStv403
DoH has announced that the
AstraZeneca vaccine efficacy against the 501Y.V2 variant has dropped to 22%.
@DrZweliMkhize
says vaccination will continue but simultaneously with the further clinical studies. JnJ efficacy seems to be 57% but awaits regulatory approval from SAHPRA.
No one is policing black wealth. BUT the EFF can’t have it both ways. They chose to dress up like they do to highlight the plight of working SAns. No one asked them to. But they get touched when the consistency of dressing like they do & leading a lavish lifestyle is questioned.
The ANC & the Speaker’s insistence that Parliament cannot deal with the Zondo report before the President tables his response demonstrates a deliberate disregard for the separation of powers & refusal to fix what allowed State Capture in the 1st place.
It’s been 4 months; 9 provinces; 34 meetings; many hours on the road in countless dorpies.
We witnessed (imperfect) democracy in action and met thousands of South Africans in the process (to be unpacked).
For now,
@NalediChirwa
and I are heading to the last
#NHIPublicHearing
This morning I got my 1st dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
It’s been a brutal 18 months living with this pandemic. Tiktok Gang let’s go get our jabs now that we can. Let’s shift the dial please. 🥳💉
Let’s do for ourselves and for those for whom it was too late.
#VaccineRollOutSA
For someone who has been at the airport since 4.45 this morning for a 6am flight that got cancelled; believe me I know the frustration of this.
Some people had connecting flights; job interviews; important meetings etc - all these things with real life consequences.
But
Happy birthday to the Minister of
@DBE_SA
. All the best to you
@Siviwe_G
even as you spend the day at the Cabinet Lekgotla Day 2, Pretoria. God Bless you 🙌
Ms Tsakane Maluleke has been unanimously voted on by the National Assembly as the new Auditor General of South Africa.
Two historic occasions:
1) The unanimous vote for this Chapter 9 institution by Parliament
2) She is the 1st woman AG since democratic SA.
This morning I laid criminal charges against the CT man spreading fake news about the
#Covid19SA
kits that will be used by to screen/test people. His video is destructive & contravenes regulation Reg 11(5)(c) of Disaster Management Act regs. Community testing has begun today.
Like so many South Africans, I tested positive for COVID19. I have been lucky that my symptoms have been relatively mild and so I have been able isolate and recover from home. I’m taking it easy & monitoring closely. Keep on keeping safe and looking after yourselves. Kuzolunga 😊
A massive congratulations to the
@WestCapeHealth
for obtaining a clean audit - the very first and the only Health Dept in the country to achieve this. While audit outcomes don’t always translate to good health outcomes, they are a good indicator that public money is well-spent.
This is why oversight is critical by MPs. Recieving responses through parliamentary questions is not enough. The Job Shimankana Tabane Hospital management is working hard; built extra bed capacity for
#COVID19
patients. A 200 bed field hospital would help ease the burden. Iphi?
I’d want the world to cultivate a culture which deems vulnerability as a form of great courage - not emotional exhibitionism. GBV thrives in a society that gags women b/c some things should be ‘private’. Strength to Markle & millions more. Let’s normalize sharing our experiences.
Do we really need to know about Meghan Markle’s miscarriage? Some experiences, especially painful ones, should be kept private. The trend of emotional exhibitionism, where we’re all encouraged to publicise our pain, benefits nobody, says Brendan O’Neill
Stay in the queue.
There’s no greater civic duty and privilege than being able to choose a government that will work for you for the next 5 years.
Don’t outsource that responsibility. There’s way too much at stake.
🇿🇦😊🗳️
You’ve got yourselves a deal!
Thank you for the invite. I’d love nothing more. I’ll be embarking on my provincial visits in the coming weeks; to see schools, educators/ staff and our learners.
Let’s choose a province together and make it happen.
Please DM me 😊
We cordially invite our new
@DBE_SA
Minister
@Siviwe_G
to read to our little ones at one of our FNB Care Community ECD Centres, in a province of your choice. Possible storybook themes? Our environment, or child protection? We have the books ☺
#FNBECD
#FNBCares
Nothing sends me off the edge more than when government is forced to account for blatant misuse/waste of public money, they resort to this kind of ‘non-defense’.
SAns don’t deserve to be transported in wheelbarrows. They also don’t deserve the indignity of these scooters.
A forensic investigation into the cause of this fire is urgently needed. We need to understand the cause of the fire; the extent of the damage & the recovery plan from Parliament.
This institution doesn’t belong to a select few - it’s SA’s Parliament. Sad to see these scenes.
A weepy farewell to a good friend, James Selfe. A legend in SA politics. From his role in the drafting of our Constitution & many legal battles that have set important precedent in SA. We traveled the country together during the 2019 election campaign & his stories - priceless 👌🏾
Today, the team and I tabled the Annual Performance Plan (APP) to the Portfolio Committee for Basic Education in Parliament. The nexus between government (
@DBE_SA
) and
@ParliamentofRSA
is critical. We must account to MPs who are elected by *you*.
They must ask the tough
The first meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education sitting this afternoon in Parliament. We are tabling the DBE’s Annual Performance Plan ahead of Budget Vote next week Monday. With Minister
@Siviwe_G
and Deputy Minister
@ReginahMhaule
leading the DBE delegation.
Gutted that he missed his bronze medal by a fraction. But incredibly proud of him for setting our new national record tonight.
Usebenzile
@AkaniSimbine
🇿🇦👏🏾
#Paris2024
#OlympicGames
It’s been a long 10 days on the road, meeting all DA public reps across the country. I’m spent. But reminded:
Often we get trapped into the stormy teacup of social commentators and keyboard thugs, we forget there are 1000s of South Africans wanting to make this thing work. ✊🏾
This morning I laid criminal charges against Min Blade Nzimande with the
@Our_DA
Deputy Spox on Higher Education
@K_Khakhau
.
These allegations of corruption at NSFAS come at the back of the entity’s battle to fund thousands of poor students.
Nzimande has a case to answer.
Today, I have challenged the DA interim leader,
@jsteenhuisen
, WC health MEC
@nomafrench
and WC Premier
@alanwinde
to come exercise with me for an hour. We are raising awareness about the impact of non-communicable/lifestyle diseases in SA and how to beat them/ manage them! 😊💪🏾
A colleague has gone to conduct an oversight visit in Maseve Mine Field Hospital. That 200-bedded facility is a great public-private partnership between the mine and the NW DoH. The 200 beds for Rustenburg haven’t arrived. Just rubble. What is being reffered to as complete?
No. Apartheid - a legalized system that institutionalized racism; saw thousands get imprisoned/ die at the hands of the state; declared a crime against humanity - can never be compared with democratic SA, no matter how much is wrong with SA today. I don’t hold that view. Mna.
This. This is scary.
When independent state institutions become so politicized, they are casually being used to fight factional battles, then we should all be concerned. I recall Magashule claiming national intelligence was spying on him last year. We kept it moving. Now this.
The SIU completed its report into
#DigitalVibes
weeks ago. The President has had this report and yet no word on who will be held accountable for the theft of millions of public money. How long is Dr Mkhize’s special leave? When will a permanent health minister be appointed?
The DA will submit a Promotion of Access to Information Act to the Presidency to make the Digital Vibes SIU report public. The SIU handed the report to President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this month. DA MP Siviwe Gwarube speaks to
#eNCA
on
#DStv403
#TheLead
Losing friendships forces you to introspect about the kind of person you are, the kind of friend you are, what kind of friendships you require, how you form friendships going forward etc.
Tough. Necessary. But still tough.
Friendships go through a honeymoon phase too
One day someone does something that leaves you flabbergasted
You stay friends but it won't ever be the same because you now know another side of that person
‘They had to be home by 22:00 but now it has increased, they have to be home by midnight so you can see its a gradual opening so that we don’t do it in a bang and find that there are unforeseen problems...’ - NDZ
You’d be forgiven for thinking she’s talking about children 😳
Why is a
@HealthZA
official speaking at an ANC and event presenting government’s plans,
@DrZweliMkhize
?
Surely, this is a conflation of party and state? If the ANC needed a briefing, why not ask Dr Mkhize to do it? Why involve government officials meant to be non-partisan?
The
@Our_DA
will be taking this matter up with the Sunday Times. Referencing
@Natasha9Mazzone
’s ‘blonde hair’ has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the story. This is misogyny in its worst form.
We can’t let this kind of treatment of women in politics go unchecked.
This morning I am conducting an oversight visit at Tembisa Hospital. This is one of the key facilities treating
#COVID19
pantients in GP. It has been reported that they battle with massive bed shortages which has led to people sleeping on floors. I’m off to inspect the situation.
The power of partnerships:
@MTNza
has been an invaluable partner of the
@DBE_SA
for years. This year, as they are turning 30 years old, they have committed to supplying 30 000 devices to various schools across the country for learners to have access to digital learning