Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A section of teachers from Lakes State have threatened to sue the state minister of education for defamation.
One of the teachers told City Review in a telephone interview that they will file the lawsuit early next week over ‘rebel’ remarks by the minister – Nelson Makoi Makur.
“The minister called us rebels,” said one of the teachers who spoke to this publication.
“He said “these are not teachers”. He said we are not even staff of the ministry of education. So, by calling somebody a rebel, a person who is not armed, it is defamation.”
The teachers were protested over salary increment where they were demanding a 100 per cent hike.
“We are in the process of filing the petition, and maybe we will submit it by Monday or Tuesday, to the court of Lakes State,” he stated.
He noted that they arrived at the decision after the ministry failed to appeal after the 14 days given by the court, adding that the judge asked the ministry to pay the teachers their damages.
“After the expiration of 14 days, we gave out notification of intention to sue them to the court. The judge told them that these people have the right to claim their damages,” he explained.
“This notification is what resulted in our dismissal. The minister received notification of intention to sue him, and then he intended to dismiss us. In the notification, we were demanding compensation for damages and defamation, and the sickness we went through in the military barracks.”
On Monday, the former education supervisor in Yirol East County, Mager Achiengwei, told the City Review that the teachers were sacked for claiming 24 months’ salaries and compensation for defamation.
In August, five teachers accused of inciting their colleagues in Lakes State to refuse salaries without 100 percent increment, were acquitted by Rumbek County Court. They included Alfred Ater, Ater Ariau, Emmanual Majak, Makur Nyuot, and Samuel Mapuor.
The ministry accused them of defamation through the media and seizing the key to the ministry of finance’s treasury, charged under items 47, 80 and 86 of the criminal code of 2008.
They were detained from June 2022, and later on taken to court where they were acquitted over insufficient evidence and failure to provide witnesses by the ministry.
The coordinator for the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization in Lakes State, Daniel Lat, said the teachers had the right to file a petition against the ministry in the Supreme Court, claiming their damages.
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