KZN education crisis: PSA's fight against 19,000 job cuts

The Public Servants Association (PSA) has vowed to take every necessary action to prevent 19,000 teaching posts from being lost in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

IOL previously reported that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana warned that 19,000 teaching jobs could be lost in the province due to budget constraints.

The proposed 2% Value Added Tax (VAT), which was rejected by the Government of National Unity (GNU)last month, was in part intended to help fund frontline services such as teachers and doctors.

This was mainly because the government is battling to fund frontline services in the country.

"As we speak, there is the threat of losing 19,000 teachers in KZN employees," Godongwana said as he explained the government's predicament.

However, his pronouncement has left many teachers fearing for their jobs, while unemployed graduates have raised concerns about whether they will ever secure a job in the education sector.

"It's difficult. Sometimes I wish I did not choose this profession because I did not think that it would take so long to get a job. You even struggle to score those temporal or substitute posts, they mostly advertise SGB posts which pay as little as R5000 or less," Noxolo Ntuli, an unemployed teacher said.

The KZN Department of Education has been battling financially, with around 80% of its R65 billion budget allocated to salaries. This has also resulted in important infrastructure projects being underfunded in the province.

The PSA has slammed the government saying that this crisis was a direct result of "inept fiscal planning, wasteful expenditure, and misguided policy choices"

The union further warned that it would not stand and watch government dismantle the public education system. They demanded that the National Treasury, the KZN Department of Education, and the Presidency take steps to address the crisis.

"We will not stand idly by whilst the government dismantles the public education system. The Union will take every necessary action, including legal challenges, and other actions to defend the rights of public servants and the future of South Africa’s learners.

"The PSA specifically calls for a moratorium on educator job cuts, ensuring that no educator is dismissed owing to budget shortfalls. The immediate reallocation of funds is required, prioritising frontline services such as education and healthcare," the union said.

The DA weighs in on the crisis

The DA in KwaZulu-Natal meanwhile, said it was "deeply alarmed" by the looming threat of job losses and accused Godongwana of placing the province's entire education system at risk.

"During the 2025/26 financial year, KZN’s Department of Education (DoE) was allocated R65 834 billion – a nominal 4.5% increase from the previous year. However, this increment is grossly insufficient to address the department’s escalating costs"

According to DA MPL Sakhile Mngadi, the party is taking proactive steps to address this issue and will soon propose a new Schools Evaluation Authority Bill which will seek to address the crisis.

IOL NEWS