Coltart and Kasukuwere clarify school indigenisation
Staff Reporter
12 July 2012
Recently Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere caused a major panic
when he said schools were to be indigenised, meaning they had to hand over
51% of their shares.
The new regulations to take over private schools were published in a notice
in the Government Gazette last week.
But now Minister of Education David Coltart has said he has reached an
agreement with Kasukuwere: Writing on his Facebook page he said: “I am
pleased to report that I had a very constructive discussion with
(Empowerment) Minister Saviour Kasukuwere this (Wednesday) evening regarding
the Indigenisation notice recently issued.”
“We are agreed that the rights contained in section 20(3) of the
Constitution, namely the right of religious and other groups to set up and
run schools, will be fully respected by Government.
“Accordingly all mission, church, religious, community and trust schools run
not for profit will not be subject to any indigenisation policy.”
Coltart also posted on Facebook a statement by Kasukuwere saying: “Sen David
Coltart and I had a discussion around the General Notice, specifically on
the education sector. In our engagement with him we advised that the
instrument had at no point talked about Trust schools,Religious/Christian
schools and Community. The Notice was specific to companies engaged in
education as a profit making venture.I am happy that the law is clear and
was always clear. I appeal to fellow citizens to read the notice and satisfy
ourselves so that distortions are minimized.”
So Kawukuwere appears to be blaming people for not reading the notice
correctly, by pointing out that the indigenisation regulations only affect
anyone who is trying to make a profit out of an entity.
In most nations, forcing someone to hand over half of a profitable company
is called theft.