The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has slammed the shocking treatment of Limpopo pupils during the 2025 National Schools Sports Championships (NSSC) Autumn Games, held in Bloemfontein from April 2 to 7.
Sadtu alleges that learners from the province arrived in the Free State without being provided with basic necessities like meals or refreshments. To make matters worse, no accommodation had been arranged for them, leaving pupils to sleep in buses exposed to cold and uncomfortable conditions.
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“Adding insult to injury, as a last-minute measure, the learners were eventually booked accommodation in Kimberley, Northern Cape, more than 160km away,” said Sadtu Limpopo secretary Sowell Tjebane. “Consequently, the team had to be withdrawn from the games.”
Sadtu Says This Isn’t the First Time Pupils Are Ill Treated
According to Tjebane, this is not an isolated incident. The union cited similar past events where Limpopo pupils suffered due to poor planning and alleged incompetence by officials responsible for coordinating provincial participation.
“In a previous instance, the team was withdrawn from the games in Mbombela in Mpumalanga because, upon arrival, they found that no accommodation had been arranged and they had to sleep in buses. In another instance, primary school learners were given oversized attire,” he explained. “It is no wonder that none of them won under such deplorable conditions.”
Tjebane called the recurring mishandling of Limpopo teams “barbaric” and unacceptable. “Incompetence at any level must never be tolerated. The union expects consequence management to be implemented swiftly to stop this rot from festering further and putting the lives of teachers and learners in danger.”
Government Responds as Minister Promises Transparency
The backlash has reached national level, prompting a response from sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie, who confirmed the learners’ poor treatment and vowed to investigate.
“It’s sadly true that learners were not given food. I’m absolutely livid,” McKenzie said in a statement posted on X. “I will have answers. Provisions for meals and accommodation is standard at these events. We will make public the amount that was given for food and accommodation.”
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Sadtu is demanding a full investigation from the Department of Education and warned that the union will not hesitate to act if no accountability is taken.
“If the department fails to address these challenges, the union is left with no choice but to exercise our rights on this matter. Our members must remain combat-ready for a clarion call to be issued soon,” Tjebane warned.
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