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The DA notes with great concern that KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Department of Education (DoE) owed the province’s Department of Public Works (DPW) a staggering R172million until recently, when only a portion of the amount was paid.

The information forms the basis of a written parliamentary reply (view here) from Public Works MEC, Nthuthuko Mahlaba, to questions submitted by the DA.

It also comes after an Education portfolio committee, held yesterday, where it was confirmed that the DoE owes at least R40million to the DPW for leases of various buildings and properties.

The DoE also owes money to several other municipalities in the province – a matter the DA has already raised – with the same meeting revealing that towards the end of last year, the Department owed eThekwini municipality R335million. This after schools within the Pinetown and Umlazi districts did not pay their municipal bills for three years.

The DoE is now paying the municipality R50million monthly to clear this debt. This after several school disconnections.

At this stage, R56million is still outstanding after a bulk payment was made in January. According to MEC Mahlaba, it is hampering the Department’s work, causing delays in ensuring that more is done for learners at some of KZN’s most dilapidated schools.

Recently, the DoE issued a statement saying that it had been given an additional R106million by Treasury– apparently for spending its money well. This despite having accumulated an almost R1billion overdraft.

The reality is that the DoE’s budget is not spent properly - where it matters - on our learners in crumbling schools, on learner transport and in making sure every child has all of their text books. Instead, it is being spent servicing overdrafts and inter-governmental bills.

This is also not being reflected properly on the Departments books, making it appear that money is being spent appropriately. If one scratches just below the surface of this façade, it is clear that the DoE has other provincial government departments in a financial stranglehold, preventing them from delivering on their mandates.

In March 2021, the DA exposed that KZN’s DoE owed R410million to the province’s DPW. Clearly, nothing has changed in this financial relationship and this ANC-run administration continues to lurch from one mistake to the next, with no proper evidence that this will be rectified soon.

The DA has consistently raised these issues and will closely monitor the resolutions through portfolio committee meetings and parliamentary questions. The DoE must comply when it comes to its financial obligations and proper spending trends.

Ultimately, the DoE has reneged on its mandate of providing quality education for our children.

As KZN’s only effective opposition, the DA will continue to play its oversight role, using every parliamentary mechanism available. We will continue to expose this ANC-led administration, particularly when it comes to the misuse or misdirecting of public funds.

Issued by Dr Imran Keeka, MPL - DA KZN Spokesperson on Education