Durban — Former chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng is expected to deliver the keynote address at the National Teachers’ Union (Natu) policy conference in Empangeni on Thursday.
In an effort to cope with the current political landscape within the education sector, the union will hold a policy conference to amend its constitution. The president of Natu, Sibusiso Malinga, will present the amendments that will be agreed upon by more than 120 branches on Friday.
Malinga told the Daily News on Tuesday that the decision to amend the constitution was taken at the elective conference last year in which he was elected as the president. The union felt it should invite a constitutional expert of the former chief justice’s calibre to open the conference before delegates went to the plenary session.
Malinga said Mogoeng’s input might shape the discussion of delegates on the constitution amendments.
Malinga said the delegates felt that it was necessary to make amendments to its constitution.
“Soon after the conference last year, we instructed our branches nationwide to hold branch meetings to come up with changes to our constitution. They sent those proposals to the head office. We had to consolidate and give feedback for the endorsement and comments. Now we are going to table these proposals to the delegates for voting,” said Malinga.
Although Malinga did not want to discuss the proposals, saying they would only be known once presented, it was expected that among others, the delegates would decide whether the union should remain non-partisan or form an alliance with a political party.
The union has been at pains to distance itself from the IFP which many were associating them with, possibly because Natu’s former president, Siphosethu Ngcobo, was made IFP secretary-general after leaving the union.
Another matter which insiders said came up in many branch meetings was the democratisation of the union. Delegates are said to have proposed that the union do away with powers of the executive to appoint the secretary and be elected by branches. Currently only the president, deputy and four vice-presidents are directly elected by the conference which then appoints a secretary.
Malinga said delegates would be addressed on the second day by quality education assurer Umalusi chief executive officer, Dr Mafu Rakometsi, who would focus on the proposed retirement two-pot system.
Natu is one of the oldest teacher unions in Africa, having formed in 1918. It is celebrating 105 years or operating this year.
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