When politics replaces the state at school gates

By Molaole Montsho
 
In Lethabong, outside Rustenburg, the first lesson of the school year arrived early: if the state cannot deliver, politics will.
 
Days before schools reopened, hundreds of children queued not at a government office or
school hall, but at a centre run by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), waiting for haircuts
and plastic book covers so they would not arrive on the first day of class visibly marked by
poverty.
 
Over four days, more than 1,200 pupils had their books covered, and just over 1,000 had their
hair cut or plaited, according to the party.
 
For parents surviving on social grants, these small interventions were meaningful and telling.
 
“We don’t buy covers. We only bring the books,” said parent Anna Modikwe.
 
EFF sub-region chairperson Juju Monaisa said the initiative was born out of observations
made during school visits last year, when pupils arrived with uncovered books and unkempt
hair, often grounds for reprimand.
 
“We are far from town and far from resources. Most of our people depend on grants,” he said.
Yet the image of a political organisation preparing children for school clipper in one hand,
book cover in the other, sits uncomfortably in a province where the department of education
is constitutionally mandated to guarantee access to basic education with dignity.
The campaign, staffed by 60 volunteers, offered chiskop and brush cuts for boys and plaiting
for girls. On the final day, organisers stayed open late as children continued to arrive ahead of
the first day of school.

While the EFF insists the programme is not a once-off, critics argue that such initiatives blur
the line between community support and political branding, particularly in communities
where voters have few alternatives and limited state presence.
The party said it has also identified pupils in need of school shoes and plans to roll out sports
and cultural programmes through early learning centres.
For parents like Esther Molefe, politics are secondary to survival. “They help us,” she said
simply.