MORE than 100 former teachers from Vhembe District in Limpopo are accusing the education department of violating their rights following their demotion to administration Clerk positions.
The demotion is reported to be a result of the teacher rationalisation and redeployment (R&R) policy implemented since 2003. Despite two decades of efforts to address their concerns, the teachers claim they were promised reinstatement after six months, which never materialised.
They claimed that they even tried to approach unions and lawyers for help with no luck.
Daily Sun caught up with the "victims" who expressed their plea for the department to address their grievances.
Maluta Ramadolela, a demoted teacher, said the situation had negatively impacted them. He said besides being qualified teachers, it led some of them to resign due to inadequate salaries.
“Our government has failed us as our job status was also demoted because, as we handled inks and various materials, we were required to wear work suits and overalls. We felt neglected, and some died of strokes because of this problem,” he said. A 62-year-old former teacher, now a clerk, said: “A teacher who gets employed today gets more money than us despite us having more experience than them. The cost of living is high, and the money we get is too little.”
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Mmboswobeni Mankili expressed dismay that new teaching positions allegedly created after their transfer were filled by others. He questioned the department's statement that they were "unlikely to find ourselves between the rock and the devil", questioning who placed them in such a challenging position without receiving a satisfactory answer.
Limpopo Provincial Secretary of The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), Sowell Tjebane, revealed the union's intervention in the matter, noting that a direct translation from Public Service Act employee to Employment of Educators Act proved systematically impossible. He said that the union negotiated with the employer, and an agreement was reached, allowing former educators to identify and apply for posts within their districts if they met the requirements.
“However, some educators rejected this suggestion, insisting on a translation without conditions. The issue primarily affected educators in Vhembe and Sekhukhune districts, with those who applied being assisted, resulting in a decrease in such cases in Sekhukhune District,” he said.
Mike Maringa, the spokesman for the provincial Department of Education, said: “We have no supporting evidence for the allegations.”
