Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Wolfgang Wallhorn, MPL and in Setswana by Revy Mange, Cllr in Mahikeng Local Municipality.
- Learner stationery meant for North West schools was found on sale at a shop in Unit 9, Mahikeng.
- DA demands an urgent, in-depth investigation to establish how the stationery was diverted and who is responsible.
- Those responsible must face swift disciplinary and criminal action, while the DA will continue fighting to get North West working for all.
The Democratic Alliance in North West is alarmed and outraged by the confirmed discovery that learner stationary procured by the NW Department of Education was being sold to members of the public at a shop in Unit 9, Mahikeng.
According to the Department, CPF members discovered the items on shelves, and police arrested the shop owner on site.
This is a grave breach of public trust. Government-funded materials are for learners, not for private sale. The DA demands an immediate, itemised account of all stationery procured for 2026 and 2027, full disclosure of how these items were diverted, and the urgent replacement of any materials to ensure that learners are not left without supplies.
The DA calls for an urgent and in-depth investigation into how learner stationery intended for North West schools ended up on the shelves of a private shop for sale to members of the public. The investigation must establish exactly how the stationery was diverted, identify every official or other individual responsible, determine the extent of the loss to the Department and establish whether this forms part of a wider systemic failure. Those found responsible must be held to account without delay, with appropriate disciplinary action taken against officials and criminal charges pursued where warranted. There can be no tolerance for the theft or diversion of resources meant for learners.
The DA will continue to use every available oversight mechanism to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and that learners receive the resources intended for them. North West needs a government that works for its people, not one that allows public resources to be diverted for private gain.
On 4 November, vote DA to get North West working for all.