Sacked Heathfield High principal Wesley Neumann has gone into politics while vowing to continue his battle with the provincial education department.
Mr Neumann, who was fired by the Western Cape Education Department in 2022, joined the Good political party as a proportional representation (PR) councillor last week.
Mr Neumann faced disciplinary action in September 2020, after he refused an instruction to reopen his school during the Covid-19 pandemic, citing safety concerns for staff, pupils and the wider community (“Ex-principal keeps fighting,” Southern Mail, May 22).
In October 2021, a WCED disciplinary process found him guilty of six counts of misconduct.
Offered a demotion to department head at one of three schools, he refused, opting to instead challenge his dismissal through arbitration. However, his efforts to be reinstated proved unsuccessful.
Announcing his decision to enter politics, Mr Neumann said he had devoted his life to education and service to his community and that his new position would allow him to continue doing so.
“Unfortunately, a four-year protracted labour dispute has left me unable to fulfil my passion for serving our communities through education…Throughout this period, I have been open to engaging the education authorities to find an amicable resolution to this dispute, unfortunately, to date, this has not yielded any results,“ he said.
“By accepting this position it does not mean that I will abandon my fight for justice against the education department. If anything, this employment opportunity will enable me to continue to serve our community as a public representative and provide much-needed resources to continue my fight for justice.”
Mr Neumann thanked those who had supported him since his dismissal.
