Educator assistants protest again over unpaid stipends
Hundreds of educator assistants have protested outside the education department’s office in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), claiming only some had received money owed to them.
The educator assistants were hired through a project aimed at employing thousands of youth across the province to help mitigate the financial pressure caused by the Covid19 pandemic.
However, the project hit a financial snag, causing a delay in payments due to the payment codes needed from National Treasury.
During the protest on Thursday one of the protesters, Mzoli Mgqali, said he had not been paid a cent after signing a contract on December 1, starting his new job at Mdengentonga Primary School, Motherwell, three days later.
To date, he claims he is owed R10,500, with his contract expiring on March 31.
“I was so excited to get this job,” the 28-year-old said.
“Now it is just frustrating. Most of us have had no money.”
He said the department kept changing the reason for them not being paid.
“We were there to fight Covid-19, yet we are being ignored.” Likhaya Sijadu, who also works at Mdengentonga Primary School, said he took part in the protest as it was unfair that he had been paid but his colleagues had not.
“It is just not right. “They need to pay everyone as they have done the work.”
Another worker, 31, who did not want to be named, said he was also owed R10,500 by the department.
He said he had to constantly make excuses to his landlord about his unpaid rent.
“I am at work and I need to help the teacher but I have no energy as I am hardly eating.
“I can’t afford to eat any more.
“I did not eat on Thursday as I ran out of food.
“I can’t ask my family for money because they will just say I am working as I have a job.”
Education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the delays were caused due to issues with the allocation of codes used for the processing of payments.
However, he said this had since been resolved, with the workers being paid in batches.
“We only got the payment codes on February 16. We have been paying them in batches,” he said, adding that some of those that went unpaid had resorted to calling him and insulting his character.
“We can only pay a certain amount in one single day. But we are constantly paying them. They will get paid ultimately.”
Thursday’s protest is the second in as many weeks regarding the issue of non-payment, with a group of education assistants undertaking similar action on the day schools reopened.
At the time Mtima apologised for the delays and he said once the payment codes had been reactivated, the department would be able to process payments within seven days.