- The Eastern Cape education department owes a group of retired teachers and former employees R8.8 million collectively.
- The money is for leave gratuity, and some former staffers were supposed to be paid in 2017 already.
- Teacher union Naptosa says some retired teachers died while waiting for payments.
The Eastern Cape education department has been accused of backstabbing former employees after it failed to pay leave gratuity to the tune of R8.8 million to 1 279 of them collectively.
Of that number, 108 are retired teachers, Eastern Cape education department MEC Fundile Gade revealed in the provincial legislature recently in response to questions from DA MPL Edmund van Vuuren. The rest are former employees who left the department for various reasons.
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The National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA (Naptosa) said the failure to pay the former employees was "tantamount to betrayal, considering that some of them dedicated their lives to the department".
The union added: "It is the worst form of backstabbing."
Naptosa's Eastern Cape CEO, Loyiso Mbinda, said the situation was uncalled for and a clear indication of department officials' incompetence and inefficiency.
The union has since called on the department to be put under administration.
Mbinda said:
"The department's enquiries section keeps on saying it is working on the matter and is making progress. This is a clear indication that the [department] deserves to be put under administration," Mbinda said.
Van Vuuren added that it was unacceptable that some teachers who left the system a long time ago were still waiting to receive leave gratuity.
"These educators, who dedicated their lives to assisting our learners, have had their retirement crippled.
He said:
Gade also revealed that some of the money was due to teachers who were appointed before 2003 and who were entitled to capped leave, determined at 36 days over three years, but had not taken accumulated leave days. Although capped leave was terminated in 2003, those who had accumulated leave days were entitled to encashment.
According to Gade, the 108 retired teachers will only be paid once the provincial treasury gives the department permission to process "BAS payments".
The DA said it was horrified that the department blamed operational issues for its ineptitude and incapacity.
"How difficult can it then be to source the necessary authorisations to have the payment processed within those three months?
"It seems that this department has run out of money and is now coming up with excuses to save face," Van Vuuren charged.
The party accused the department of stalling so that it could pay retirees in the next financial year.
"This is absolutely outrageous," he added.
The Eastern Cape education department failed to respond to News24's questions. Its response will be added once received.