The Pretoria High Court on Wednesday rejected the Educators Union of South Africa’s (Eusa) application for schools to close.
The union has applied for an interdict against the Minister of Education, Angie Motshekga’s decision to reopen schools on Monday.
The trade union Solidarity, which sided with the education department and approached the court to be added to the case as a stakeholder, says in a statement the court found Eusa’s application contained “material defects”.
“The ruling is a victory for pupils and teachers in the country in that their access to education and the right to work is enhanced by this victory,” says Dr. Dirk Hermann, chief executive of Solidarity.
Most schools reopened on June 8. Schools should have reopened initially on June 1, but education unions have capsized as most schools did not have the necessary protective equipment and cleaners to ensure Covid-19 does not spread among learners and teachers.
