Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga and President Jacob Zuma during the opening of school in the Eastern Cape — PICTURE: GCIS South African government speech writers have been getting good use out of a particular figure in recent months.“Government has built 795 schools since 2009,” President Jacob Zuma told crowds at the “National Day of Prayer for Unity, Peace, Rain and Successful Local Government Elections” in Durban at the end of May.He repeated the claim verbatim on Youth Day, commemorated on 16 June.The factoid has subsequently featured in speeches delivered by national assembly speaker Baleka Mbete and minister of defence and military veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.It has reached Twitter too, being visualised and tweeted by the department of sport and recreation’s spokesman, Esethu Hasane. (Although he lost five schools in the process.)Thank you ANC government for changing the fate of the black child #MyGovtWorkspic.twitter.com/hEPZywhjg0— Esethu Hasane (@EsethuHas...
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