“This right should not impede on the right of others, and moreover the majority of South Africans who overwhelmingly voted for the ANC, to be addressed by the president,” Sadtu said in a statement.

Sadtu is a member of the Congress of SA Trade Unions, which is an alliance partner of the ANC.

Parliament descended into chaos on Thursday night, when National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete ordered the forceful removal of the EFF’s MPs. They repeatedly interrupted President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address.

Sadtu said Zuma’s address highlighted the sad reality of South Africa 23 years after democracy.

“We hope the initiatives announced by the president as part of radical economic transformation will bring equity which we so long for in South Africa,” Sadtu said.

Sadtu said the land issue directly affected teachers as many could not afford property. Part of the solution lay in challenging the hegemony of commercial banks in the housing market.

For the country to have more black graduates, a strong foundation in education, particularly at elementary level, was needed.

Sadtu welcomed the reintroduction of specialised police units which the ANC-led government phased out in 2001.

- News24.com