[image: Saturday Star]
*Teachers honour 11 who died in inferno * ** ** ** ** *Sameer Naik and Sheree Bega, Saturday Star, Johannesburg, 10 September 2011***** ** ** Hundreds of teachers at a workshop in the North West held an impromptu memorial service yesterday for 11 of their colleagues who were burnt to death in a horrific head-on collision on the N4 Bakwena highway outside Zeerust.**** ** ** The driver of a bakkie carrying five passengers collided head-on with a taxi in which 13 teachers were being ferried to a National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA (Naptosa) conference in Rustenberg.**** ** ** Two teachers and their driver were pulled out of the fireball, reportedly by a passing motorist, but are in a critical condition, while all the bakkie’s other passengers died.**** ** ** The bakkie driver, driving from Rustenburg, apparently at speed, lost control of the vehicle and collided with the oncoming taxi.**** ** ** ”It was the first item on our agenda,” Enver Surty, the deputy minister of education, told the Saturday Star from the Naptosa conference. “We couldn’t continue with the conference without paying attention to the horror accident that took place. We will have further memorial services in the next few days.**** ** ** ”When I heard about the accident, I was in Pretoria. I had to reschedule all my activities to be here. This tragedy has followed on the heels of the 14 learners lost in Knysna recently. It’s a blow to the profession and a huge loss,” Surty said.**** ** ** Lieutenant-Colonel Lesego Metsi, spokesman for North West police, said some of the passengers were burnt beyond recognition as both vehicles had erupted in flames.**** ** ** This made it hard to establish the identity and gender of victims, but DNA testing was under way.**** ** ** ”It is a huge loss for the union,” said Naptosa president Esrah Ramasehla. “We are going to be working out exactly what we can do for those affected by our members’ deaths. We feel very saddened and feel for the families, the schools where our members came from and their communities.”**** ** ** North West Premier Thandi Modise described the accident as one of the worst in recent memory. “This accident has unfortunately opened old wounds about teachers from Diphetogo Primary School in Mafikeng, who perished in an accident about five years ago.”**** ** ** In June 2006, 14 teachers died in Lichtenburg when the taxi they were travelling in collided head-on with a truck, after a tyre burst.**** ** ** Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said: “An injury to a teacher is an injury to the education system,” she said.**** ** ** * Mugwena Maluleke, of the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union* general secretary, said: “Such death is not only a tragedy to the families of the deceased but to the nation and our education system as a whole. We have lost the most valuable and yet undervalued people in our society,”**** ** ** Gershwin Chuenyane, the spokesman for the North West education and training department, said:**** ** ** “We’ll give whatever support we can to the families and provide counselling for all those who have lost their loved ones. We’ve already set up a task team who’ll be there to support the families.”**** ** ** Desbo Mohono, the MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison in the North West, described the crash as catastrophic, while national Transport Director-General George Mahlalela pointed to a spate of accidents involving public transport vehicles. - Saturday Star ** ** *From: http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/north-west/teachers-honour-11-who-died-in-inferno-1.1134861 * * * * * * * -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
<<SaturdayStar.gif>>
