Cape Town - The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) says the School Governing Body (SGB) employees at Steenberg Primary have not been paid their salaries for June due to gang violence that led to the cancellation of fund-raisers.
The five SGB employees – three educators and two non-teaching staff – said they were left in financial distress and hardship, and that their contracts were verbally terminated by the principal, while other staff members were told they would not be returning to work in the new term.
The employees said they’ve not received any formal notice of termination or signed any termination agreements.
“We, the five SGB employees of Steenberg Primary School, do not wish to disparage the school’s reputation, but we feel compelled to share our unfortunate experience.
“Despite our dedication and hard work, we have been subjected to unfair treatment by the school administration,” the group said.
They said the principal had also not kept the SGB chairperson informed about recent developments, despite attempts from the chairperson to communicate with him via emails and messages.
The staff members referred to the lack of transparency and disregard for protocol as unacceptable.
“Despite our efforts to communicate with the principal, he has refused to respond or engage with us, leaving us feeling ignored, disrespected, and uncertain about our future at the school. We urge the school authorities to investigate this matter and ensure that the principal prioritises the well-being and fair treatment of SGB staff. We deserve better.”
Attempts to reach the principal were unsuccessful by deadline yesterday.
On April 8, the group said they received assurances that their jobs would be secure and they would be given adequate notice should this change.
The group last received a salary on May 31 and expected their June salaries to be paid on June 28 as per an agreement.
A scheduled meeting on June 19 was postponed without reason, they said, leaving them “in a state of uncertainty and anxiety”.
On July 1, they received a letter calling for a meeting on July 4 to discuss retrenchment, a “rephrased” version of the initial termination notification, the group said.
This meeting was also postponed and the group was told not to return to the school on July 9, they said.
WCED spokesperson Millicent Merton said the SGB was unable to pay the staff at the end of June after cancelling fundraising events earlier this year due to violence in the area.
“The governing body is trying to secure funding from donors to cover the salaries.
“A governing body meeting will be convened as soon as possible to discuss the way forward,” Merton said.
Cape Argus