Open Letter: Blade the Bully – Hayley Reichert’s response to Blade Nzimande
Dear Dr Blade Nzimande,
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your hectic schedule to write and publish your concerns about me on SA government website. I’m a little disappointed, I must say, that you didn’t have the balls to confront me directly by returning my calls or texts. It does however warm my cockles to know that my TV interview ruffled your feathers enough to warrant your public attack on me.
I apologise for it taking me a while to respond however I was trying to make the most of my time on holiday in the failing city of Durban, such a pity we couldn’t enjoy the now-faeces-ridden beaches, but I guess that’s of little interest to you and I’ll have to take up the matter with your relevant colleagues in other dismally failing departments.
Wow, such big words you’ve used in your attack on me. I’m thrilled to see you seem to have received a decent quality education compared to the poor standard currently being delivered to millions of young people on your watch. Clever you for recognising my anti-government tirade. Quite frankly, it’s exhausting that I, as an ordinary South African, and many others like me, must take on government officials and use the power of the media to expose the incompetence of yours and other government departments, to those who pay your salary (the taxpayers, in case you forgot about them) and the general public whom you are meant to serve. I’d also like to remind you that it is taxpayers’ money that your Mpumalanga Department of Education has wasted for most of 2022 whilst failing to sort out a very simple administrative role for our underprivileged students on government bursaries in Russia.
And don’t try pull the wool over the public’s eyes that you care about these students. If you did – why didn’t you intervene when they knocked on your door mid-2022 and multiple times in the months since? Why did they feel compelled to turn to other individuals, organisations & the media to help create awareness about their plight in October? That seemed to result in a little rendezvous in Russia for two officials, again at taxpayers’ cost (please do feel free to show off how much that cost the hard working citizens of this country!). That trip allegedly only resolved the situation for 74 out of 221 students and then the department went quiet. By mid-December when the students didn’t know what else to do, they turned to me for help. Suddenly a little media pressure caused those lazy, incompetent elves in your department to suddenly wake up and realise it’s almost Christmas time so best they get to work! It’s been 9 months since RACUS’ tender ended and these students have been messed around unnecessarily – ON YOUR WATCH – with many still questioning what their fate will be.
According to Wikipedia, you hold a master’s degree in Industrial Psychology. It astounds me that, as someone with an even higher psychology degree than I have, would resort to such childish tactics. Did you think that your little spat would scare me into ‘shutting up’? Just as your colleagues over in Mpumalanga felt it was ok to try scare the brave students who have spoken out, into shutting up. Your statement attacking me has had the opposite effect entirely as, you see, I do not fear bullies. I do however fear dreadfully for the future of these talented young people who do not deserve this unnecessary stress and entirely avoidable disruption to their studies.
Do you know about the students stuck in SA, unable to obtain letters from their universities to facilitate their return to Russia due to unpaid fees? Do you know about the student’s whose universities are not on your list? Do you know about the students whose transfers to different universities were agreed upon by RACUS but now whom your department fails to accept or acknowledge? Do you know about the students who’ve been forced to put themselves on academic leave which will result in them potentially being set back a full year due to your department’s ineptitude? Do you know that many students are too scared to speak up because they have seen how those who have, are being targeted by your department?
Despite your claims that you’re in talks with SA universities (two of which have outright refused to assist, according to the WhatsApp sent to me by your PA, Mr. Bingwa), do you honestly think that sending some students back to SA is the best possible solution? Please let me remind you of the 50 medical students we helped flee Ukraine who still have not been integrated and who faced serious challenges in trying to engage with the various relevant departments and HPCSA. And please let me also remind you of the graduates who were told by Mpumalanga that they would receive necessary support in the next steps of integration upon their return, only to realise they were fed empty promises and lies. One student told me they were instead told to ‘go get a job at Checkers’ by Mpumalanga DoE!
You can try bully me all you want, Dr Nzimande, but I will continue to be their voice, until every single student’s situation has been satisfactorily rectified. I strongly urge you to stop wasting your time trying to silence people like me and get on with the job you’re employed to do, or move out of the way so someone far more capable can get it done instead.
Read more:
- Hayley Reichert’s original interview about students abandoned in Russia
- Minister Blade Nzimande’s response to Hayley Reichert
- Action SA’s statement on Nzimande’s attack on Reichert
