KZN MEC for Education Sipho Hlomuka. The department has reassured teachers that salary payments will be made despite a budget shortfall. Picture: Tumi Pakkies Independent Newspapers
Image: Tumi Pakkies Independent Newspapers
The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal has moved to quell any fears that its teachers are at risk of not receiving their salaries due to budget shortfalls. The department stated that the salaries for the teachers are ring-fenced, and the teachers will be paid.
It emerged recently that the department is facing a severe budget shortfall. DA spokesperson on Education, Sakhile Mngadi, said the currently presented budget has a shortfall of R1.3 billion.
“The operational budget, which is about 7% of the total budget, can be further reduced to cover this shortfall, but roughly 2,336 posts are at risk should the current budget not be amended to cover that salary shortfall,” he said.
In a statement, the department said it has never occurred that teachers are not paid their salaries and that this will not happen.
Spokesperson for the Education MEC, Mlu Mtshali, stated, “We wish to state for the record that teachers are and will continue to be the most valuable assets of the education sector. They are an important part of the reason why the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal continues to perform despite the successive cuts to its budget. Therefore, we reject any suggestions that the department intends to disrupt teachers’ livelihoods by withholding salaries. This has never happened before, and it will not happen now. The funds for the payment of teachers’ salaries will continue to be ring-fenced from the allocated budget, which guarantees the payment of salaries.”
The spokesperson added that the MEC of Education in the province, Sipho Hlomuka, led the department’s strategic plan where various stakeholders of the sector, including teachers’ unions, came up with resolutions to take education in the province to even greater heights.
“We rely on the continued support of the people of KwaZulu-Natal as we take on the task of empowering the young people of KwaZulu-Natal through quality education and skills,” he added, noting that Hlomuka will deliver the department’s budget vote speech on the 29th of April 2025, where he will clearly outline how the department’s budget will fund the programmes of the department.
