National Department of Basic Education

Director-General

Mr. M.H. Mweli

Mr. Hubert Mweli was appointed Director-General for Basic Education in August 2015. He studied at North-West University and his qualifications include a BA in Education, BA Honours, B Admin Honours in Industrial Relations, and a Masters in Development and Management. Prior to his current position, he occupied various positions that include Head of Department of the North West Education Department, Deputy Director-General for Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring in the Department of Basic Education, and Administrator of the Eastern Cape Education Department. A write-up of the speakers at a SAPA conference in 2020 describes Mr. Mweli as a person who engages with key role players in the chain of delivery. He takes his role of monitoring and support of provinces, districts, and schools very seriously and visit them on a regular basis. He believes in a quality assurance philosophy of what gets measured and monitored gets done.

Director-General
Department of Basic Education
Sol Plaatjie House
222 Struben Street
Pretoria
0002

Email : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (DG)
Email : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Personal Assistant)

Minister

Ms M.A. Motshekga, MP

Ms. Angie Motshekga has been appointed Minister of Basic Education in May 2009. In 2019 she became the longest-serving Education minister in SA history. She was previously a member of the Executive Council in the Gauteng Provincial government. Ms. Motshega is a member of the ANC and former president of the ANC women's league. Her qualifications include a BA degree in Education from the University of the North, a Bachelor of Educational Science, and a master's degree from Wits. She is a seasoned educator who started her career as a teacher at Orlando High School and thereafter lecturer at the Soweto College of Education and Wits University. During the 1980's she was a member of the Soweto Education Crisis committee that later formed part of the National Education Coordination Committee. Ms. Motshekga was also the national convenor of teacher unity talks that led to the formation of the South African Democratic Teacher Union (SADTU).

Minister of Basic Education
Sol Plaatje House
222 Struben Street
Pretoria
0002

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Minister)
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Secretary of Minister)
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Secretary of Deputy Minister)

Eastern Cape MEC

Mr Fundile David Gade

Mr. David Gade was born in Dutywa in the Eastern Cape. He was a teacher before joining the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislator in 2014. Mr. Gade chaired the provincial legislator portfolio committee on Education and later served as chief whip of the ANC caucus. He was sworn in as the MEC for Education in 2019. Mr. Gade is serving as a member of the following portfolio committees: Local Government and Traditional Affairs and Transport and Education. Mr. Gade holds a Diploma in Education and an FDE in administration and management. He is currently studying towards a diploma in governance and leadership at Wits. Mr. Gade is unmarried and has 6 children.

Personal Assistant to MEC: Ms Nombuyekezo Nkwenkwezi
Postal Address: Private Bag X0032, Bhisho, 5605
Tel. : 040 608 4305
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Western Cape MEC

Ms. Debbie Schaefer

Ms. Schäfer is a lawyer and politician. She was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal. Her family relocated to the western cape where she matriculated from Bergvliet High in 1984. She achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Psychology and an LLB from the University of Cape Town. Ms. Schaefer practiced as an attorney of the Cape High Court for twelve years before becoming involved in politics, starting as a ward councilor. In 2009 she was elected to the National Assembly and served as Shadow Deputy Minister or Police, Shadow Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, and she served on the Magistrate's Commission. In 2014 she was elected to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament where she was appointed to the position of Provincial Minister of Education and re-elected in 2019. Ms. Schaefer is married and has twin daughters, who both finished high school in 2017.

Personal Assistant to MEC: Audrey Frazenburg
Postal Address: Private Bag X9161, Cape Town 8000
Tel: 021 483 6574, Fax: 086 441 9431
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Northern Cape MEC

Mr. Solile Monakali

Mr. Solile Monakali has served as the Northern Cape MEC for Education since September 2020. Prior to serving in the provincial government, he was the executive Mayor of the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality. He was also the inaugural chairperson of the ANC branch in his hometown, Prieska. He has served as chairperson of the local SADTU branch and is a member of both SAMWU and NEHAWU. Mr. Monakali obtained a BTec in Education from the Tswane University of Technology, a post-graduate diploma from UNISA, and is currently studying towards an MPA at the Free State University. He worked as a teacher, deputy principal, principal, and skills development facilitator at the Department of Education before he started a career within the municipality. He was appointed municipal manager and district director before being appointed mayor, followed by the position of MEC.

Address: 156 Barkly Road, Homestead, Kimberley, 8301
Tel: 053 830 7165, Cell: 079 327 5862
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Personal assistant to MEC: Ms. Sharon Plaatjies
Tel: 053 8307162
Cell: 072 068 8410
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Gauteng MEC

Mr. Panyaza Lesufi

Mr Lesufi's real name is Andrek. His love for football earned him the nickname "Panyaza" Mr. Panyaza Lesufi has been serving as the Gauteng MEC for Education since May 2014. He is also a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature for the ANC, Deputy Chairperson of the ANC, and a member of the South African Communist Party. Mr. Lesufi was born in Edenvale and his family relocated to Thembisa after being evicted from Edenvale under the Apartheid era group areas act. He became a political activist whilst in high school in Thembisa and was an active member of the Mass Democratic Movement. He was a leader of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS), and active in the national education crisis committee whilst being a student at the University of Natal. He became the President of the university SRC. He obtained a Bachelors's degree in Administration at the University of Natal. Mr. Lesufi has been incarcerated twice. After the unbanning of the ANC, he became active in the party structures where he held positions as regional secretary and provincial chairman. In 2014 he was one of the first people to work in the newly established Department of Basic Education. It was the same year he was elected into the Provincial Legislator.

Postal Address: Private Bag X74, MARSHALLTOWN, 2107
Tel: 011 355 0909
Tel: 011 355 0293
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Personal Assistant to the MEC: Mamokwe Isabella Makoloka
Phone: 011 227 9231
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Free State MEC

Dr. Tate Makgoe

Dr. Tate Makgoe has served as the MEC of the Free State since May 2009. Prior to this position, Dr. Makgoe has served in different positions of the Executive Council, including as the MEC of Finance, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Agriculture and Public Safety and Security. Dr. Makgoe holds the following qualifications: B.Com (UNISA), B.Com Hons (UFS), and MBL (UNISA). He is also a chemical engineering graduate from the Vaal University of Technology that fuels his passion for the importance of maths and science subjects. Dr. Makgoe was born in Parys, Free State. In 1984 during the Apartheid years, he left the country to join the ANC Military wing. He was incarcerated from 1986 - 1991 for political activism. He sees education as a means to get people out of poverty. In a speech to his staff, he said that it is time to move away from the obsession with qualifications and move towards an obsession with performance. Dr. Makgoe is married and has 3 children.

Street Address:Room 1601, Floor 16, Fidel Castro Building, Cnr. Miriam Makeba and Markgraaf, Westdene, BLOEMFONTEIN, 9301
Tel: 051 404 8411
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Personal Assistant to the MEC: Mr. Phiwe Mathe
Tel: 051 404 8079
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Kwazulu Natal MEC

Mr. Kwazi Mshengu

Mr. Kwazi Mshengu is a lawyer and politician and has served as the MEC for Education in KwaZulu Natal since May 2019. He is also the provincial chairperson of the ANC Youth League. Mr Mshengu was born in Mooi Rivier, Kwazulu Natal. He attended farm schools in the area for his primary education and matriculated at Dabulamanzi Combined School. He studied at the University of KwaZulu Natal and obtained a bachelor of social science honors degree in policy and development studies and a master's degree in law. From 2006 to 2008, Mr. Mshengu served as the president of UKZN's SRC. He was employed as the commissioner for the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Commission in 2008. Prior to his appointment as MEC, he worked for the ANC caucus and was head of the Ministry for the Provincial Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs. Mr. Mshengu is married and has two daughters.

Street Address: Anton Muziwakhe Lembede Building, 4th Floor, 247 Burger Street, PIETERMARITZBURG, 3200
Tel. : 033 355 2450 , 031 360 6593 , 033 355 2417 , 031 360 6590

Personal Assistant to the MEC : Ms Balakhile Sishi
Tel : 066 036 3465
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Mpumalanga MEC

Mr. Bonakele Majuba

Mr. Bonakele Majuba is a politician and educator who has served as the MEC for Education in Mpumalanga since May 2019. He is a member of the ANC and has been a Member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature since May 2009. Mr. Majuba was the deputy speaker of the provincial legislature between March 2018 and May 2019. After his matriculation, he studied at the Transvaal College of Education where he achieved his senior teacher's diploma in 1991. He worked as a teacher until he was elected regional secretary of SADTU (South African Democratic Teachers Union) for the Western regional office in KwaMhlanga in 2001. He held numerous positions in SADTU ranging from Deputy Provincial Secretary to SADTU Deputy President. In 2004, Mr.Majuba was elected as the deputy chairperson of the South African Communist Party's Ephraim Mogale District. Mr. Majuba held numerous positions in the South African Communist Party from acting provincial secretary to provincial secretary.

Physical Address: Building No. 5, Government Boulevard, Riverside Park, Nelspruit,1201

Personal Assistant to the MEC: Pinky Moosa
Tel: 013 766 5520 , 013 766 5552/5349
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Limpopo MEC

Mrs. Polly Boshielo

Mrs. Polly Boshielo is a South African politician and has served as the Limpopo MEC (Member of the Executive Council) for Education since May 2019. She has been a Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislator for the ANC since June 2015. She acted as speaker of the provincial legislature from 2015 till 2019. Mrs. Boshielo also served as a Member of the National Assembly between 2014 and 2015. Mrs. Boshielo was born and grew up in Seshego, Polokwane. She is a member of the ANC and South African Communist Party. After the 2014 election, Mrs. Boshielo was nominated to the National Assembly. She was appointed member of the auditor-general, transport, and public enterprises committees. In June 2015, she was sworn in as a Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature and elected speaker prior to being appointed the MEC of Education for the province.

Street Address: Department of Education Building, Cnr 113 Biccard, and 24 Excelsior Streets, POLOKWANE
Tel : 015 290 7611/01 , 015 290 7625
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Northwest MEC

Ms Mmaphefo Lucy Matsemela

Ms. Mmaphefo Lucy Matsemela is an educator and politician. She has served as MEC of Education of the North West Province since May 2019. Mrs. Matsemela was born in Magong, North West Province. She studied at the University of North West where she obtained a BA degree in Education. She started her teaching career at the Ramodingwana Primary School, then taught at a middle school, before being appointed to the position of Head of the Department of Humanities. Whilst being a teacher she joined the South African Democratic Teacher Union (SADTU) Mrs. Matsemela also contributed to the formation of the first Tlhabane Branch of the Congress of SA Students (COSAS). She was an active member of the ANC Youth League and filled the position of secretary of the ANCYL in the Bonjanala Region. Mrs. Matsemela was appointed to National Parliament from 2005-2009, where she served in numerous portfolio committees.

Physical Address: 2nd Floor, Garona Building, Dr. James Moroka Drive, Mmabatho, 2735
Tel: 076 870 5165
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

OR Personal Assistant Ms Ipeleng at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 071 457 9715

Tags: provincial ministers MEC

Payments must be made through the Payfast payment gateway. Once an order confirmation is received from SAHomeschoolers.Org and a payment confirmation has been received from Payfast the order can be deemed as confirmed.
Once the order and payment was received, it will be forwarded to the service provider that will engage directly with you.

The Coronavirus lockdown has given the responsibility of education back to many parents. This can cause parents to feel anxious and uncertain, but there are lots of educational resources on the internet to support them in their educational task. The curriculum option on the sahomeschoolers menu has lots of paid, second hand and free resources to explore together with their child. Although some of these resources are subject specific and CAPS aligned there are many other resources which supports different educational approaches than those followed in school. This lockdown gives parents the opportunity to explore alternative education. In considering alternative education parents can follow these guidelines:

Home Education is totally different from School Education. It is not a one size fits all system, but allows for education to be customised to the needs of every individual child. Parents can choose from a diversity of education approaches such as classical education, unit studies, Charlotte Mason, Montesorri, unschooling etc. These approaches are totally different from the traditional approach where education is divided into subjects, grades and 30 minute periods.
Home education should not be seen as a school at home. The home is not an extension of the school, but the school should rather be an extension of the home. Teachers are supposed to act "in parentis loco", in the place of the parents. Homeschooling parents are not unpaid employees of the education department, but primary responsible caregivers. Families that try to emulate the school at home often experience failure.
Families need to time to investigate the diversity of options available. This period of school closure creates an opportunity for families to investigate whether home education will work for them.
- If you are totally new to homeschooling, read the Beginners Guide on our website. Visit www.sahomeschoolers.org , register on the website and then select “Get Started” on the main menu for links to beginners guides in English and Afrikaans.
- The Beginners Guide can be accessed for free, but you must register with the website (Click on “Register”). Registered members will receive notifications when new blog articles are published and new facilities are released. Your email address will be kept private and will not be distributed to 3rd parties.
- A series of videos that answers frequently asked questions on home education can be viewed on the SA Homeschoolers Youtube channel.
- If you are looking for support groups of homeschooling parents, please visit www.sahomeschoolers.org and select the “Support” option in the top menu, and then click on the “Support Groups” option. There you will find links to pages with information on support groups in various regions.
- Home education can be provided by the parents, or parents can make use of Tutors. For information on tutors, visit www.sahomeschoolers.org , select “Support” on the main menu and then click on “Tutors” to get a list of advertisements by organisations and individuals that offer tutoring services.
During this time, parents should utilize a multitude of free educational resources available on the internet, so that children are not bored, but will continue to learn, with the freedom to explore their own interests. Visit https://bit.ly/2V5ATOI for a list of free resources.
If your investigation shows that home education can work for your family, you can merely continue with what your started. If it is not for you, you will still have learned a lot about education, and be able to provide better guidance to your child's school education, after the crisis has passed.
Parents that plan to return their children to school after lockdown can consider registering for lockdown education. The Pestalozzi Trust has introduced a new membership category for parents that opt for "Lockdown Education", and plan to return their children to school next year. The Trust will advise such members on registration for lockdown education and assist in conflicts that could arise around re-admission to school next year. The price of this membership is a reduced fee of R600 until the end of January 2021. This membership can be converted to normal membership if parents decide to continue with home education.

Tags: homeschool home education start with home education lockdown

A year ago, if anyone asked me if it was possible to teach pupils how to play the violin online, I would have laughed them off. However, COVID-19 changed my perspective completely.

Of course, teaching someone from scratch is challenging because I can’t physically show them the correct way to hold the instrument but I found that all of my other pupils have been improving at better than normal rates. And here’s why:

We have more time to spend on instrumental learning during a 30 minute online lesson than during a normal 30 minute lesson. You see, under normal circumstances students would spend at least 5 minutes of the lesson unpacking and packing up. Now, they get to unpack beforehand and pack up after the lesson ended, without stealing another pupil’s time.
Students are less distracted during their lessons. They are in the comfort of their own homes, so they aren’t constantly looking around and trying to take in a new environment. This helps to keep high intensity levels throughout the lesson.
With scheduled video feedback throughout the week, I can monitor students’ progress closely and correct any mistakes they might make. Not only does this motivate students to keep on practicing, it also forces them to focus on the quality of sound they produce. Let’s face it, when you record yourself, you want to be at your best!

My personal experience taught me that online music tuition is not only possible, but also acceptable to pupils and parents. I lost less than 10% of my pupils after moving online. Both teachers and parents save money on traveling, making music lessons more affordable. It also creates new opportunities. It makes music lessons accessible to pupils in rural areas, and also makes lessons in scarce instruments more accessible. Now a pupil in Springbok could receive oboe lessons from Johannesburg.

Many music teachers have lost a source of income after the start of lockdown, because they did not think that online music lessons were possible. To help these music teachers, I am now offering an online training session to empower music teachers to make the move to online.

The training sessions will cover the following:

What conferencing platforms work best for music?
How to use the conferencing features?
What equipment must the teacher and the pupil have?
How is online teaching is different from physical teaching?
What about pupils with bad internet connections?
What about loud instrument (e.g. brass instruments)?
How do you advertise on tutor platforms?
…

Click here to book a 40 minutes online training session for R250.

Cornelia Marais (online violin teacher)

Tags: online education online music tuition

During this lockdown, parents should utilize a multitude of free educational resources available on the internet, so that children are not bored, but will continue to learn, with the freedom to explore their own interests. Below is a list of such reources.

A. Free Resources list of SAHomeschoolers

B. Online resources:

BrainPop
Curiosity Stream
Tynker
Outschool
Udemy
iReady
Beast Academy (Math)
Khan Academy
Creative Bug
Discovery Education

C. YouTube Channels:

Crash Course Kids
Science Channel
SciShow Kids
National Geographic Kids
Free School
Geography Focus
TheBrainScoop
SciShow
Kids Learning Tube
Geeek Gurl Diaries
Mike Likes Science
Science Max
SoulPancake
Lots of board games, library books (and Kindle), tinkering/upcycling with household junk, etc.

D. Some resources to help with kids at home:

E. More awesome free learning websites that we like to use:

https://www.starfall.com/h/
https://www.abcya.com/
https://www.funbrain.com/
https://www.splashlearn.com/
https://www.storylineonline.net/
https://pbskids.org/
https://www.highlightskids.com/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
https://www.coolmath4kids.com/
http://www.mathgametime.com/
https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/
http://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/
https://www.switchzoo.com/
https://www.seussville.com/
https://www.turtlediary.com/
https://www.e-learningforkids.org/

F. The above sites are provided free until the end of May for people isolated at home due to Coronavirus.

G. Free South African resources

Indigo Learning

Tags: homeschool lockdown

Events

(A) : 26 November: Koa Akademie Virtuele Ope Dag

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National Department of Basic Education

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