Whistle blown on DA shirts

Whistle blown on DA shirts

The Western Cape head of trade union federation Cosatu came out with guns blazing yesterday, calling on the Independent Electoral Commission and the Western Cape Education Department to investigate claims that Overberg High School pupils had been "forced" to wear the DA T-shirts.

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"Cosatu is outraged at [the] DA [for] violating children's rights . by forcing children to wear DA sweaters during school activities. Cosatu calls on the IEC to investigate this infringement," he said.
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"We also call on the Department of Education to investigate this incident in the light of its statement banning political activities at schools, or does this not apply to DA supporters?"
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Frans Lotz, the principal of the Caledon school, was not available for comment and school officials referred The Times to Western Cape education MEC Donald Grant.

Grant's spokesman, Bronagh Casey, said Grant was aware of the "T-shirt fiasco". She accused Cosatu of politicking over the issue.
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"I can confirm that the T-shirts were obtained by the pupils themselves, and were voluntarily worn. They were not 'forced' to wear the T-shirts as stated by Cosatu," she said.
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It was reported that the school's first hockey team had asked for a donation of T-shirts from the DA and the girls had worn them to the practice.

Casey said the school's principal, Lotz, had told the department that he had told the pupils to replace their T-shirts as soon as he became aware of them.
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"The Western Cape Provincial School Education Act states that no form of party political activities are allowed on school premises, during school time or during extra curricular activities," said Casey.
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Ehrenreich insisted that Grant take disciplinary action against the school: "The point is that it was wrong to do that and Donald Grant as the MEC should have acted against the school."