The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has ordered for the correct payment of the youth, who were a part of the Education Employment Initiative, that are yet to receive their money.
This comes after an urgent meeting was convened by Education MEC, Kwazi Mshengu, to deal with the non-payment. In a statement released by the department last week, the MEC directed that the department’s finance and human resource units work together with districts to clear the causes of non-payment for payments to come into effect this week. The EEI was launched as Presidential Youth Employment Stimulus Packages to ease the economic pressure experienced by communities due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Education throughout the country recruited the youth to serve in schools as cleaners, administration clerks, teacher assistants, reading champions and other categories. “These employees were to be employed from December to the end of March this year, however, the programme was subsequently extended to the end of April. There has been an outcry from many of these employees, complaining about non-payment and some being paid half of the money,” said the department. Mshengu further directed the head of department to engage the services of an independent investigator, to audit the allegations of some schools paying half or non-payment, when they have received the money from the Department.
