Newly appointed Gauteng education MEC Barbara Creecy has assured educators who did not receive their salaries at the end of April that the problem will be rectified next week.
Approximately 1200 educators and support staff were left stranded at the end of April when the department failed to process their salaries.
The late and non-payment of temporary teachers’ salaries has been a serious problem in several provincial departments of education in the last few months. This has raised questions about the administrative capabilities of the provinces.
According to Gauteng education department spokesperson Nanagolo Leopeng the affected staff members were on temporary contracts or had been newly appointed at the beginning of April.
Leopeng says the delay was caused when the schools did not meet the deadline to enter the details of the affected teachers into the central salary database.
After receiving reports on the matter, Creecy made arrangements for the salaries of 1060 staff members to be processed.
There are still 140 employees whose details are incorrect on the system and the department is working on a case by case basis to remedy the situation so that their payment can be processed as soon as possible.
“On behalf of the department I would like to extend my personal apologies to each and every staff member who has experienced this problem. It is my sincere wish that during this term of government we should work hard to re-establish the status of the teaching and related professions,”
said Creecy.
Staff members who want to check their own personal payment status can phone the GSSC call centre on 0860 4288364.