South African flag on all school uniforms by 2017: education MEC

·12 May 2016

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi says that he wants all school uniforms to have a badge with the South African flag on them as soon as 2017.

“My wish is to ensure that from 2017 all school uniforms must have our SA Flag just like national sporting teams,” Lesufi said in a post on social media site, Twitter.

“It’s a national symbol that should unite all of us,” Lesufi said.

“This is our national symbol! Our identity! Our hope for a better SA,” the MEC said.

“Wearing it on their school uniforms every day will ensure the children of the country appreciate it.”

In another post he said: “Our children can be taught to sew them (badge).”

The MEC’s spokesman Oupa Bodibe told Pretoria News that a debate would be initiated with school governing bodies.

“We will be going into consultation and also talk to uniform manufacturers so they can add the flag in their production processes,” Bodibe said.

In March, Lesufi said that schools have until September to change names that are offensive, derogatory or which hail apartheid heroes, or it will be done for them.

“We are giving schools a new guideline. Schools that are named after apartheid heroes or are insulting, they have until the end of September to change those names. This is the new South Africa. Names which glorify apartheid must go… So apartheid names must fall, ” said Lesufi.

He said the same rules would apply to school emblems and signage.

“Like HF Verwoerd [school], we are coming. They can’t have those kind of names,” he said

In a separate message on Twitter, earlier this week, Lesufi said: “From 2017 it will compulsory for all Gr1’s learners in GP to take one African Language.”