Gauteng education department says unpaid assistants will get their money

10 March 2021 - 20:48 By Khanyisile Ngcobo
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The Gauteng education department's Steve Mabona blamed the delay in payments on banking issues as well as the late start some assistants had after the programme commenced. Stock photo.
The Gauteng education department's Steve Mabona blamed the delay in payments on banking issues as well as the late start some assistants had after the programme commenced. Stock photo.
Image: SAMORN TARAPAN/123rf.com

Hardly five months after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the intention to employ more than 300,000 unemployed youth at schools, and three months since they took up their posts, many have not been paid.

Ramaphosa last October announced that 800,000 public-sector jobs would be created in the next three years through a R100bn fund, of which 300,000 posts would go to young people in the education sector.

Despite having allocated R7bn to the basic education department for the initiative, many have since complained over non-payment, with some students yet to receive anything since signing their contracts.

In the Eastern Cape, many assistants have repeatedly held protests to raise their grievances. In Gauteng, assistants placed at various schools in the Tshwane west district have been raising a similar issue.

Three assistants at Tim Modise Primary school confirmed to TimesLIVE that they had not been paid since signing their contracts in December, and had been informed that this was due to contracts being “misplaced”.

TimesLIVE has seen a copy of the signed contract at Tim Modise, with the commencement date listed as December 2020.

Another assistant at Tebogwana High School confirmed that she had been paid — but only in February, despite signing a contract in January.

Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed that the department was aware of the issue and had “initiated audit processes that will ensure that all those with outstanding payments are paid”.

The audit process is meant to cover all assistants who were not paid for January and February 2021.”

Mabona blamed the delay in payments on banking issues as well as the late start some assistants had after the programme commenced. He, however, confirmed that most issues had been resolved and urged frustrated employees to take up outstanding issues with their respective schools.

TimesLIVE


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