Pretoria - A public relations exercise meant to portray the Gauteng provincial government as caring and in touch with issues that affect schoolgirls, has backfired horribly, leaving education officials scuttling to apologise.
The incident took place during the launch of the refurbished hi-tech R40 million Mapenane Secondary School in Ga-Rankuwa last week.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane, sought to restore dignity to the Ga-Rankuwa community and the provincial public education system.
The school’s refurbishment entails a new admin block, two classroom blocks, a science laboratory, a library, a nutrition block, a guard house, a refuse yard and two ablution blocks.
Days later, a Twitter video meant to display the caring nature of the provincial government backfired.
News anchor Redi Tlhabi was one of the first to launch a salvo of criticisms at the provincial government. She questioned the “parading” of schoolgirls, invited to the stage to receive “dignity packs” with a face cloth, deodorant, body lotion, toilet paper, sanitary towels and a toothbrush.
Lesufi oversaw the handover of the packs from Social Development.
Following the backlash, the provincial education department, which Lesufi led before becoming premier, apologised to him. Chiloane followed with a tweet: “The girl learners seen on stage with the premier are not beneficiaries, but representatives of learners.”
EFF leader Julius Malema retorted.“Just accept you were wrong; stop justifying nonsense … ”
In the berated apology statement, the department labelled the incident a “misunderstanding”.
“The Gauteng Department of Education wishes to extend its sincerest apologies to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and broader society …There was an unfortunate perception of girl learners being paraded … When the premier was invited to the event, the handing over of dignity packs was not on the programme.
“We apologise for the misconception this gesture caused,” said department spokesperson Steve Mabona.
Twitter users – male and female – reacted to the video, with some asking if the government understood how private menstrual hygiene was, how undignified it was to call girls on to a stage and hand them sanitary pads and how it was a publicity stunt gone wrong for a government to parade girls in need of hygienic aid on a stage – and social media.
“Lesufi should be apologising. This was a disgusting attempt to gain political points,” one Twitter user said. Another added: “Panyaza Lesufi MUST apologise to the girls for humiliating them. “No apology to the girls? Ja nee,” was one retort. Wrote another: “You are trying to apply band-aid to something that was horribly wrong and raised the ire of the public!”
Pretoria News