Latest news with #NationalSchoolNutritionProgramme
IOL News
6 days ago
- General
- IOL News
KwaZulu-Natal schools face food delivery problems due to non-payment of service providers
Service providers in the National School Nutrition Programme have warned that some KwaZulu-Natal schools will be without food for schools meals this week due to some service providers not being paid. Image: Pixabay Service providers contracted to feed KwaZulu-Natal schoolchildren have warned that some schools will not receive food deliveries on Monday, 2 June, due to non-payment of invoices by the provincial Department of Education. The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) Service Providers Association says many of its members have not been paid for April and earlier invoices despite submitting all necessary documentation, and the department has offered no formal communication or explanation for the delay. The issue of payments, either not being made or being late, have been a challenge since the start of the school year. Last month, the payment issues was also raised by the services providers. The KZN education department admitted that there had been some service providers who were not paid and said this was due to system errors. NSNP association spokesperson Thabang Mncwabe said the non-payment of some service providers "places over a million learners across the province at risk of going without food on Monday'. 'It not only undermines the constitutional rights of learners especially under Section 29(1)(a) of the Constitution, but also sets a disheartening tone for Youth Month.' The association said the department is in breach of Section 38(1)(f) of the Public Finance Management Act, which requires valid invoices to be paid within 30 days. 'We cannot allow financial mismanagement, poor planning, and a continued disregard for legal obligations to compromise the dignity, health, and education of South Africa's children,' Mncwabe said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading It called on the national Minister of Basic Education to urgently intervene and hold the provincial department accountable, while also demanding the immediate implementation of the Pretoria High Court ruling which the association affirms the rights of service providers to be paid on time. In response, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education admitted that some NSNP service providers were excluded from the most recent payment run, attributing it to technical problems related to the implementation of a new financial management system. 'The Department is affected following the implementation of the new Standard Charts of Accounts (SCOA V6), which includes a complete refreshing of the BAS technical environment,' it said. 'Whilst the Department captured all submitted invoices for the month of April and other previous months, a number of service providers were randomly omitted in the process,' it added. According to the department, the Provincial Treasury is investigating the cause of the omissions, and a special payment run has been scheduled for Tuesday, 3 June. Payments are expected to reflect by Friday, 6 June. MEC for Education Sipho Hlomuka appealed for understanding and urged schools to continue feeding learners where possible. 'We have requested that principals of schools whose service providers have been affected by this impasse humbly engage service providers to deliver food items to schools and also ensure that learners do not go hungry,' said Hlomuka. 'We call for patience and cooperation during this period of transition and frustration.' THE MERCURY
News24
08-05-2025
- Business
- News24
KZN education dept vows to pay fees owed to feeding schemes after protest over unpaid funds
Service providers for the National School Nutrition Programme protested over non-payment, with some claiming they haven't been paid since November 2024. The department said technica l issues from a recent upgrade to its financial system caused the delays. 78% of payments were completed by 24 April, and the remaining 22% are scheduled for 9 May. Disgruntled service providers for the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) are waiting with bated breath for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education to make outstanding payments. The provincial education department assured all service providers that payments would be made no later than Friday and described the ongoing delays as regrettable. On Monday, service providers took to the streets to protest outside the department's various district offices. They claimed that more than 50% of the service providers had not been paid for services rendered, while some claimed they were last paid in November last year, despite supplying food to schools in the province. National School Nutrition Programme Service Providers Association spokesperson Thabang Mcwabe said its members were struggling to cope. He added that the department's failure to provide solutions had left them with no choice but to down tools and protest. Update On the Payments to the National School Nutrition Programme Service Providers — KZN Education (@DBE_KZN) May 7, 2025 Mcwabe said that despite the department's promise that payments would be made by Friday, they were still concerned about the 22% of service providers whose payments had not been processed. 'This means 22% of learners in the province will still have to learn on an empty stomach. What a system, what a crime to humanity, we will not bow down until all payments are processed,' he said. The department said the delay in payments was caused by technical issues with its newly upgraded financial system. KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education HOD Nkosinathi Ngcobo said as of 24 April 2025, 78% of the payments were successfully processed. Ngcobo added that subsequent attempts to finalise the remaining payments on 25 April and 2 May were unsuccessful due to technical difficulties linked to the implementation of a new financial system, BAS Version 6, which is an upgrade from the previous BAS Version 5. He said the National Treasury's IT team was currently working around the clock to resolve the system failures. Ngcobo said the payment run that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday was successful for the remaining 22% of unpaid service providers and that they would receive their payments on 9 May. ALSO READ | He added that the department had full records of all unpaid service providers. Ngcobo said these lists had been shared with district offices to ensure that affected service providers were kept informed and that no further disruptions should occur in the provision of meals to pupils. 'We acknowledge the concerns raised by our valued service providers and wish to assure them that the department is doing everything possible to resolve the technical glitches affecting payment processes,' he said. 'The problem has nothing to do with the financial difficulties of the department, for the NSNP is paid from the grant allocation.' KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli said they were aware that the Department of Education had confirmed that payments would be made on Friday.
The Citizen
08-05-2025
- The Citizen
School feeding scheme in crisis as payments stall
Amid payment chaos, the DA and unions demand urgent action to save the school nutrition programme. The KwaZulu-Natal education department yesterday made an undertaking to pay National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) service providers amid threats by the DA to have the department placed under administration for its 'poor management' of the programme. While the department insists it has so far paid 78% of the NSNP service providers, the contractors said those who have been paid have not been paid in full. NSNP association representative Siboniso Xulu said despite the government having set aside funds for the NSNP programme, the KZN education department has shifted the financial burden for running the programme to the service providers. Unpaid National School Nutrition Programme contracts 'We have not been paid for the work we did in March and April. We are forced to use our own money to keep the feeding scheme going because if we don't, the children will starve,' he said. 'As things stand, some of us have not been paid a cent in the past two months while those who have been paid, have been paid half of what is due to them.' South African Democratic Teachers Union provincial secretary Dolly Caluza said the union believes 'the department has collapsed; it can't do anything. As we speak, some Grade R practitioners have not been paid'. ALSO READ: Tinned fish missing: Saps arrest suspects with stolen school food 'The department is struggling to pay service providers for the school nutrition programme, acting personnel are not paid their acting allowances and some officials cannot attend important workshops.' She said Grade R teachers have had their employment contracts terminated by the department. The teachers were on annual renewable contracts that ended at the end of March every year. 'This does not make sense as the department always renews the contracts. Grade R teachers not paid 'We don't understand why they remove them in the first place, so that workers are not subjected to the pain of not getting their salaries,' Caluza said. 'These workers are also subjected to a salary that does not match the qualifications and experience they have. 'We have engaged the employer on this and it promised to ask the office of the premier to assist with review of the issue, but it appears that was unsuccessful as there is no indication that these Grade R teachers would be relieved of this pain any time soon.' ALSO READ: Ex-school officials arrested for stealing over R35 000 in school nutrition funds The DA's KwaZulu-Natal education spokesperson and MPL Sakhile Mngadi said this was not an administrative hiccup but a 'gross dereliction of duty and a broader systemic failure' by the provincial education authorities.
IOL News
07-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Premier Ntuli demands accountability amidst KZN's government crisis
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli. Image: Supplied IN A BID to get his KwaZulu-Natal's provincial government in order, Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has called for accountability from his MECs amid the struggles of the Department of Health and the limping-along Department of Education. Ntuli held a marathon media briefing with all members of the Provincial Executive Council (MECs) present, following its normal cabinet meeting in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday. The briefing came as the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department, led by MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Mngadi, faced a financial crisis, having racked up an alarming R1.7 billion debt to service providers. As a result, several key health projects had to be halted, leading to a protest outside the provincial headquarters in Pietermaritzburg on Monday. The angry service providers blocked the entrance, demanding their overdue payments.' Ntuli condemned the actions of the protestors, saying, 'We also wish to condemn the barricading of the offices of the Department of Health by disgruntled service providers, on Monday. No dispute, however large, should be resolved through violence in KwaZulu-Natal. We live in a constitutional democracy and we must always use legal avenues to settle our disagreements.' Simelane-Mngadi, while addressing the matter, confirmed the R1.7 billion debt and explained that the department was cutting back on certain projects to free up funds to pay service providers. 'We are dealing with the issue, and we will cut some projects and divert the saved funds toward payments to service providers,' she said. She also mentioned that negotiations were underway with service providers, including those with monthly payments over R500,000, to spread their invoices over two months. The department's financial difficulties have caused significant disruptions to health services across the province, with several service providers halting operations due to unpaid invoices. On the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), which had more than 1700 services, Ntuli said the 22% unpaid service providers of the NSNP, under the education department, would receive their payments on Friday, May 9. 'We are pleased to report that on April 24, 2025, at least 78% of the payments had been successfully processed. Attempts to finalise the remaining payments on April 25 and May 2 were unsuccessful. This was due to technical difficulties linked to the new financial system, BAS Version 6, said Ntuli. The department of education was also battling increased controversy stemming from the non-payment of Grade R teachers in KZN. The Daily News' report, this week, highlighted their plight after they were not paid their April salaries. Many teachers, including Nondumiso Ngcobo, a Grade R teacher at Motala Primary School in Pinetown, said the non-payment has plunged her finances into disarray. Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka said: 'It is not true that some teachers won't be paid. In terms of the educators for Grade 1, there was a challenge because, we unfortunately did not renew their contracts in time. But they have been paid." He added: "We are human beings and we make mistakes." Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕
IOL News
07-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
Urgent call for KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape school nutrition programme challenges to be addressed
A child has a spoon of food to his mouth File Picture: A child enjoys a good meal at a primary school. Picture: Independent Newspapers Archives Image: Independent Media Archives The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has welcomed the Department of Basic Education's (DBE) commitment to urgently address the school nutrition crisis affecting learners in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. Since the beginning of the second term, several schools in the two provinces have been facing disruptions with the programme, an issue that has drawn serious concern from MPs. 'In many cases, these are the only meals that learners receive. They do not have food at home. So, now we are taking away that meal; learners cannot learn on an empty stomach,' said committee chairperson Joy Maimela during a committee meeting this week. The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) is a key intervention aimed at ensuring learners receive at least one nutritious meal a day while at school. The committee was being briefed by the DBE on school infrastructure planning and delivery when the the nutrition programme was raised, following recent media reports. Maimela said in a statement that she welcomed the commitment from Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube, who pledged to urgently engage her provincial counterparts. 'We are encouraged by this commitment. We will certainly monitor this space carefully,' she said. Gwarube also clarified that the programme's funding is ringfenced and cannot legally be diverted to other expenses, prompting the committee to demand answers from provinces experiencing shortfalls. In KZN, the provincial education department had stated in a previous announcement earlier this week that it had paid most suppliers in the NSNP and that others would be paid by Thursday, May 8. However the department has since said that payment would now be made on Friday, May 9. The department said some payments had been unsuccessful due to technical difficulties linked to the implementation of a new financial system by the National Treasury and this was being dealt with. Nkosinathi Ngcobo, head of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, stated, 'We acknowledge the concerns raised by our valued service providers and wish to assure them that the department is doing everything possible to resolve the technical glitches affecting payment processes. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕
