Education Minister Gwarube expedites education assistant stipends after criticism

With the recent announcement by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube that September stipend payments to school assistants would resume, the predicament of thousands of young educators in South Africa took a major step towards resolution.

The programme follows significant hardship brought on by payment delays that have left these vital employees in a protracted financial limbo.

Minister Gwarube worked closely with the Departments of Employment and Labour (DEL), the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to ensure prompt payment processing.

Due to these efforts, money started to reach recipients on Wednesday morning, providing much-needed assistance to those who depend on these stipends to sustain their families and means of subsistence.

Additionally, the Minister has ordered the implementation of accountability procedures against officials whose inaction caused the delay.

Meanwhile, the DEL refuted claims of not releasing the September payments.

Gauteng premier, Panyaza Lesufi, blamed Gwarube on "X" for delayed stipends, as it is a "DA-led department."

"When a DA led department fails to pay stipends, it’s business as usual. Double standards," said Lesufi.

In response, Gwarube said that her office does not process payments, but it is the responsibility of the labour department.

"The DBE has done everything to comply and submit all verification documents to ensure that our EAs are paid without further delay. Their work is invaluable in our schools," she said Gwarube at the time.

Despite Gwarube's utterances, the DEL said her office submitted incomplete supporting documents on time for September, which also included attendance registers.

The education assistant program is governed by a Multiparty Funding Agreement (MFA) contract between the labour and basic education departments, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).

As per the contractual agreement, the Service Level Agreement states that the DBE should submit attendance registers by the 15th of every month for the DEL to process payments.

"The UIF requires the attendance registers for verification in line with the multiparty funding agreement for the processing of invoices for payment of 158, 000 beneficiaries from 20, 000 schools," said the DEL.

In addition, Clauses 6.6.3 and 7.1 of the MFA state that verified attendance registers must be submitted as a precondition for releasing subsequent tranches.

"These conditions ensure transparency and accountability, safeguarding both the beneficiaries and the integrity of government funding processes," said the DEL.

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