Hundreds of service providers contracted to the national schools nutrition programme in KwaZulu-Natal face a black Christmas after the province’s department of education allegedly failed to pay them for December.
The non-payment led to the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) Service Providers Association writing to Premier Thami Ntuli to intervene.
The payments were supposed to be received last week Friday. However, the association said that had not happened by Monday, 23 December.
“I write to bring to your urgent attention a matter of grave concern affecting our members and, by extension, the learners of KwaZulu-Natal.
Despite the directives outlined in the KZN NSNP Circular No. 83 of 2024, many service providers remain unpaid for their services rendered. This failure to adhere to payment timelines has created a dire financial crisis for our members, threatening not only their livelihoods but also the sustainability of this critical programme,” Lindani Matiwane, NDPN said in a letter to Ntuli.
Matiwane claimed that the provincial education department used the grant from the Department of Basic Education to pay the service providers for rendering different services.
“It has also come to our attention that the Department of Education is in breach of Section 83 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The NSNP grant has reportedly been utilized for departmental activities unrelated to the NSNP, contrary to its intended purpose.
“Furthermore, the Department has failed to manage the NSNP business plan correctly, leading to significant inefficiencies and non-compliance with the stipulated guidelines. This mismanagement not only undermines the objectives of the NSNP but also erodes trust in the Department’s ability to execute this essential programme effectively,” Matiwane added.
Despite this, the spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, Muzi Mahlambi, insisted to the African Times that they have paid all the service providers who submitted their invoices.
When this was put to Matiwane, he rebutted it, saying Mahlambi is misleading the public on the matter.
