Note to Editors: Please note Sakhile Mngadi, MPL sound bites in English and isiZulu
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) welcomes the decisive interventions of Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube and KZN Finance MEC, Francois Rodgers, in the face of our province’s ongoing education crisis. Their willingness to act urgently in the face of a collapsing system underscores the gravity of the situation.
For too long, KZN’s Department of Education (DoE) – under the leadership of HOD Nkosinathi Ngcobo – has been mired in maladministration, corruption, and financial irregularities.
The department has lurched from one scandal to another, from irregular procurement processes to mismanagement of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) and now finds itself unable to pay service providers or guarantee the smooth running of critical programmes such as learner transport. This is a clear sign of failed leadership at the administrative level.
While the DA acknowledges that KZN has suffered cumulative budget cuts of R26 billion over the past six years, poor management and reckless decision-making have compounded the problem. Decisions such as absorbing temporary Covid-19 support staff onto the DoE’s permanent payroll, without any sustainable funding plan, have added further strain to already limited resources.
The reality is that while all provinces have faced austerity, KZN’s DoE has become uniquely unstable because of maladministration.
It is unacceptable that by mid-financial year the department is already unable to pay suppliers and may not be able to administer the 2025 matric examinations without a massive bailout. This is not just a financial crisis – it is an assault on the right to basic education for millions of learners in KZN.
The DA notes that the department has now been placed under Section 18 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), giving provincial Treasury oversight of its spending. While this is necessary to prevent further financial collapse, it is a damning indictment against the HOD and senior management, who have presided over years of irregularities and mismanagement.
The DA therefore calls for the immediate removal of HOD Ngcobo on the basis that his continued presence is undermining efforts to restore stability and accountability in the department. The future of our children cannot be entrusted to an administration so tainted by maladministration and incapable of basic financial discipline.
We further urge KZN Premier Thami Ntuli to act decisively by supporting Minister Gwarube and MEC Rodgers in their reform efforts. Education is the single most important investment in KZN’s future, and unless there is accountability at the highest levels, no financial bailout will resolve the crisis.
As a solid partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA will continue to monitor the situation closely. We will not rest until our province’s learners are guaranteed the functional, accountable, and properly managed education system they deserve.