“We are not firing teachers, and we are not retrenching teachers.” These were the words of Western Cape education MEC David Maynier following news of the reduction of 2 400 teaching posts in the province due to budget cuts.
“The reduction in posts will mean that some contract teachers will not be reappointed after their contracts end on 31 December 2024, and some permanent teachers will be asked to move to another school where there is a suitable vacancy.”
Last week, the department said it had informed schools that “the current number of educator posts in the Western Cape cannot be maintained” and it had “cut down on spending across various directorates”. Atlantis will also be on the receiving end with about 50 teachers across all schools in the area said to be affected by the latest announcement.
“We are in an impossible position, and it is not of our making, and the Western Cape is not the only province affected,” said Maynier. The decision by the national government to not fully fund the 2023 wage agreement has caused a fiscal crisis for education departments across the country,” he said.
According to the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu), the department began consultations with teacher unions and school governing bodies in July about its proposal to reduce the 2025 basket of educator posts.
Sadtu, the largest trade union for teachers in South Africa, has rejected the Western Cape department’s plans, saying it would report it to the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC).
“This will not be accepted because the department hasn’t consulted in line with the legislation and we have declared a dispute in the matter. The matter will be scheduled by the ELRC in due course,” said Sadtu secretary Mugwena Maluleke.
The union confirmed that its members will embark on a strike on a date to be determined, taking into consideration the fact that matric exams are due to begin in October.
“We are aware that teachers’ unions have threatened to go on strike,” said Maynier in a statement.
“Striking will not change the fact that we are being short-changed by the national government, which only provided 64% of the cost of the wage agreement negotiated nationally with unions, leaving the province to fund the remaining 36%,” he said.
The MEC said, “even if we cut all the programmes suggested by the teachers’ unions, we would not come anywhere close to dealing with the massive R3.8 billion budget shortfall.
“We have not taken the decision to reduce the number of teaching posts lightly, and we are doing everything we can to fight for our teachers and we hope that teachers’ unions will choose to fight alongside us, rather than against us,” Maynier concluded.
