Durban - Sadtu on Tuesday welcomed a decision by KwaZulu-Natal education MEC Peggy Nkonyeni to establish a committee to investigate how and where the department spends its money.
However, SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) provincial acting secretary Nomorashiya Caluza warned that the committee of financial and legal experts needed to be provided with clear terms of reference before beginning its investigations.
Speaking at a press conference in Durban, Caluza said:
“Investigators need to understand their mandate. We believe that the department of education, as the biggest in the country, must put its house in order and deal with rotten elements within its ranks once and for all.”
Last Friday, Nkonyeni announced the establishment of the committee that would be headed up by Gcwalisile Twala, a lawyer.
Her department which has a R39 billion budget, incurred R2.68bn in irregular expenditure in the past financial year and has for the past three years received a qualified opinion from the auditor general.
Some of the failings that have emerged in the past include the continued payment of teachers who had quit the department or been fired.
Caluza said that the union, which had previously called for a forensic investigation into the department, would be keen to testify before the committee.
She said the investigation needed to proceed quickly so that the department could start the new year “on a clean slate devoid of any maladministration and corruption in order to focus on the delivery of quality education for all”.
Sapa