Pupils without masks will be turned away, warns Motshekga
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has warned that any pupil not wearing a face mask when schools resume on Monday will be turned away.
Motshekga was responding to a parliamentary question on Wednesday.
Schools are set to open their doors for the first time since the start of the lockdown in March.
"The protocol says no child will be allowed on school premises if they don't have their mask on," she said.
"So, there's no way they will say they have forgotten, which means they have to turn at the gate to go and take the second one."
Motshekga also confirmed that each pupil will be given two masks by the department.
Those would subsequently be replaced later in the year with new ones.
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Motshekga also disputed accusations from the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) that the department does not have sufficient personal protective equipment (PPEs) for teachers and pupils.
"I can only give you the facts of what would've been reported to me by MECs, and I have no reason to doubt what they were telling me," she said.
Grade 7 and 12s are set to return to school on Monday when the country officially moves to lockdown level 3.
