It has been announced that David Maynier, current provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities will be the new Minister of Education in the Western Cape, come May 15th.
This after Provincial Minister of Education, Debbie Schäfer, handed in her resignation to Premier Alan Winde, which he accepted, while praising her for her excellent service to the people of the Western Cape.
Schäfer said she had been in politics for 20 years, serving in all three spheres of government. “I believe I have made valuable contributions in each,” she said. “It has been my great privilege to have served as Provincial Minister of Education in the Western Cape Government for the last eight years.
“I believe I have left the department in a better place than I found it, and am proud of the work we have, together, achieved.”
Schäfer says she is ready now to bow out of public life. “I am in the fortunate position to have been offered a job in the legal sector in the UK, which I have accepted. I will join some of my family there, which presents a unique opportunity for us to experience together. I will leave office with effect from 15 May 2022.”
I would like to thank former Premier Helen Zille for entrusting me with this responsibility and Premier Alan Winde for his leadership and support.
Winde said he would like to express his heartfelt gratitude to Schäfer for her excellent service to the people of the Western Cape, and especially its children.
“Anyone who knows Debbie knows she is a strong and tenacious leader, who fights hard every day to ensure a well-run, quality-focused education system in the Western Cape. Her results speak for themselves. The Western Cape has the highest bachelor pass rate in the country, and has reached our highest retention rate ever.”
Winde says Schäfer has been dedicated to supporting poor schools (61% of schools in the Western Cape now being “no fee” schools). “This includes the additional assistance to quintile 4 and 5 schools to become “no fee” schools.”
He added that during the Covid-19 pandemic and its major impact on the education sector, Schäfer worked hard to ensure local schools were prepared, to protect all role players while ensuring learning continued.
“We will miss her sharp attention to detail and steadfast commitment to the values we share, and I thank her for the important role she played in our Cabinet. I am confident that she will be a great success in her new endeavour.”
