The recent privatisation proposals by the Western Cape Education Department pose several threats to democracy and the public good. The working class have seen this before, and expect these dangers to proliferate as austerity continues to starve public education.

On Tuesday, 27 August 2024, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) wrote to schools, telling them that more than 2,400 teachers would be cut from the public education system in 2025. Two weeks later, the department briefed the Western Cape parliament's committee on education about its efforts to attract private partners to invest in the education sector. This pattern of austerity followed by privatisation has been observed in various sectors in many countries, often decimating public goods and making it more difficult for ordinary people to meet basic needs.

As fiscal austerity measures tighten and neoliberal policies gain ground under the ANC/DA-led coalition, we face a troubling convergence of political and economic forces that threaten to fundamentally alter our public education system - turning schools into profit-driven enterprises that exacerbate existing inequalities.

The proposals put forward by the WCED at the provincial parliamentary briefing pose several threats to democracy and the public good. Working-class communities have already borne witness to the dangers of these privatisation attempts - through experiences with donor-funded schools and "low-fee" private schools. We expect these dangers to proliferate, as austerity continues to starve public education, and vultures circle to feast on the carrion.

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