100 Km from Nelson Mandela Home Children Study Outside crowded and no sanitation no water COVID 19 is a disease that was discovered in December 31 , 2019 , in China. It was categorized as an Pandemic by the World Health Organization.  South African Schools were closed for safety and infection control reasons until the curve was flattened. 

South Africa is  one country in Africa that get snow during winter. South Africa has no law that forces schools to have heat in winter. The majority of parents cannot even afford shoes and sweaters /jerseys for their children. Many  people assume that Africa is a continent of hot weather temperatures only and that is a myth. South Africa winters are covered in snow. June and July are the coldest months in South Africa.  It get better in August which why we us for winter to be over before sending students to prevent unnecessary deaths.

 

Many learners  die because of  Influenza spreading fast in winter even before the COVID19 era , there was a high rate of absenteeism due to influenza alone now to be worsened by COVID19 , our youth and children are going to die in numbers if we allow South African Leaders to send learners to school next week,  it is too risky , senseless , careless and irresponsible and very selfish for our leaders to ask  learners to return to school  during winter . Our request is not an unreasonable one but a prevention approach to the dangers looming  ahead. 

Sending learners to school during  the winter season is sending  is murder because we know that COVID19 has no vaccine and no treatment and we know this disease kills , it is sending learners to the grave in the face of flu virus , the cold weather and Covid19 in a poor country like South Africa with clustered homes is  clear murder to the overcrowded schools in the townships , informal settlements and rural settings.

 

Solidarity is key in the management of COVID19, government alone cannot do it. We therefore challenge South African telecommunication companies like VODACOM , MTN , CELL to donate data to all schools to access internet . This is the time for Africa to solve its technology problems that have in anyway caused limitations to advancement of education in Africa.  These companies have made so much money for this country. Supporting the department of education during this pandemic will assist the  South African government from keeping schools closed until we #flattenthecurve. 

There are children in our country who have no classroom , siting outside exposed to harsh temperatures making them easy prey to many forms of infection.  If the schools open right now in winter , those children will definitely be exposed to the cold and may die because of SARS COV 2 virus which causes COVID19 . We do not want to lose our lives , loose our health care workers and now our learners. We don’t even have protection for our health care hero’s what about the learners who will be crowded everyday. 

 Little is known about this virus and the diseases it causes.  The World Health Organization and Centre of Disease Control have warned that new information is discovered everyday for this deadly virus and have confirmed cases of children and young people who have been diagnosed with this type of coronavirus. This virus spread fast in crowded area  , schools are the most crowded places that the virus can use to spread very very fast beyond the school borders. 

The Reproductive value for SARS COV 2 Virus is 2.8  R0=2.8 which means one person with this coronavirus  can infect 3 people . It is unlike influenza which has a reproductive value , an R0=1. SARS COV2 infected individuals can spread this virus even when they have no symptoms (asymptomatic). Now that the major danger to all learners  and teachers that a leaner or a teacher can look fine and well but spread the virus to others. We are signing to warm the South African Government that of he proceeds with sending students to school they will be liable and charged with murder because that knew the exact dangers yet uses students to open the economy.

This virus is highly potent , dangerous and fast. It is very infective and kills. It has no treatment and no vaccine. Learners have not even be vaccinated yet we are taking about sending them to our cold, crowded schools with no heaters and poor ventilation. We should not be exposing our children to death knowingly.  If we do that we are not a Rainbow Nation and the Spirit of Ubuntu must be applied in this decision . We cannot allow the Department of Education to use our kids as an experiment to their premature unprepared unlocking of country at the expense of our children.  We should be cancelling this whole year to keep our learners safe.

Even doctors are dying of the COVID19 , why would we want to sacrifice our children to the virus by sending them to school in a rushed  , unsafe and prematurely. 

New studies are emerging showing that children are presenting with severe forms of Septic shock hence we do not want to bury our children because they are used to sustain the economy . Schools and teachers are not baby sitters . Most of these children have severe form of infection that even seen. We need to wait for the world to learn more about this virus before exposing our children to death at the crowded school

 

We sign this petition to protect the most vulnerable to this major global crisis of CoVID19, try all we can to express our views, to stand against the decision taken to open schools in winter, we are signing to say we are against the decision and all  the plans to expose South African students and Learners to this deadly virus during the winter season must be stopped. We are asking Mr President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Departments  of Education of South Africa to refrain from exposing our youth and children to the virus that has killed almost 300 000 people world wide.  One student death will set a wave of depression and anxiety to the whole student bodies. 

 

There are so many burn injuries our children  during winter trying to warm themselves up. The decision makers do not lives in mansions in heated buildings  , they don’t sleep on the floor like most black learners , they don’t stay in leaking roof houses made of tin. Winter is the worse season in South Africa associated with coughing and sneezing. Learners live in crowded households where there are at times 10 family members in one bedroom house. This is the reality of our new democracy that we fought so hard to have. 

Education is very important for the South African learners but what good is educating children when they are not safe . Before education we must first look at the environment which we send our learners to for that education. We do not want to go back to the slogan we used in Apartheid that say People shall Govern because we believe we have very good and strong leadership that will make right decisions for the future leaders of this continent of Africa. 

 

President Cyril Ramaphosa May 1 date to start unlocking the country was designed by President Donald Trump where America is approaching summer. Even in America places like New York City will be opening their schools last in the fall which is October . We therefore sign this period to demand that all South African schools be opened in August 2020.

We demand the cleaning of all schools and supply of N95 make to all learners. Schools like Mcheni Secondary schools where children are studying outside to be renovated It advances the spread of the virus.

If the department of education violates our human Wright’s and those of our children we will take necessary steps at the parents to file a formal legal case in court to stop the abuse of our learners by the South African Government and all the Academic sectors involved .

 

We urge you to cancel 2020 in our academic calendar or consider opening our schools during South African summer season which begins in August.  This is a request not against the leadership but for the safety of our children and learners . Leg is not imitate well organized countries with good infrastructure. Let’s plan for our children safety and take the best possible precautions south-korea-reopensschools-amid-coronavirus-20200520-bzwsrqblsjf57prcxwk3yild3y-story.html

 

 

 

We Thank You