A representative from the SGBs Mokotedi Mokotedi said they the locked gates in protest against the irregular appointment of people who were supposed to screen and clean at schools.

"The SGBs in Lethabong decided to close schools because there was irregular appointment of screeners and cleaners who are supposed to come and work in the schools pertaining to the Covid-19 challenge.

"We are not satisfied with the process followed to employ these people. We closed schools to draw the attention of the department of education so that they should address this problem,"  he said at an interval of a meeting with officials from the department of education.

He explained that SGBs were requested to employ two people to screen learners and three cleaners, the SGBs sent lists of people to the department of education but, surprisingly different people who were not submitted by SGBs were appointed.

"We do not want politics in our schools. We want politicians to come and check whether the schools are ready not to interfere with the appointment of people we do not know."

Mokotedi said the SGBs wanted people on their lists to be employed and if the department saw it fit they may also continue with the other people they have appointed. 

"We do not have problems with them working side by side with the people appointed by SGBs,"  he said. After a lengthy meeting it was resolved that four people on the lists submitted by SGBs would be employed and one from the other list.

Schools were expected to continue on Tuesday without any disturbance but, SGBs had warned that if their demands were not fully met, there would be no school on Wednesday.

Schools reopened for face to face classes on Monday after they were closed on March 18 as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus known as Covid-19.

The grade 7 and 12 groups were the first groups to report for schools while the other grades were to report at a later stage as part of the phase-in approach to restart schools 

South Africa has so far recorded 48,285 Covid-19 infection cases with 998 deaths and 24,364 recoveries.

African News Agency