Latest news with #SakhileMngadi
IOL News
15-05-2025
- IOL News
Outrage as laptops stolen from school's newly established cyberlab
Laptops were stolen during a break-in at the Sibongumbomvu Combined School in Ward 6 of the uMngeni Municipality. . Image: uMngeni Local Municipality/X A rural school in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands was robbed of laptops in its newly donated cyberlab. In a joint statement, DA Mooi Umngeni Constituency head Edwin Macrae Bath and DA KZN education spokesperson Sakhile Mngadi expressed outrage over the break-in at Sibongumbomvu Combined School in Ward 6 of the uMngeni Municipality. The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning, weeks after a brand-new cyberlab was handed over to the school by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies on April 15. Suspects stole 20 donated laptops, the school's IT equipment and they damaged infrastructure. 'This cyberlab was not just a room filled with machines—it was a bridge between rural learners and the digital future,' the statement read. 'Initial evidence suggests the crime was carried out by individuals with inside knowledge of the school's layout and security measures. It was targeted and calculated—a strategic hit against progress in one of our province's most under-resourced communities.' 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. 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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 ✕ [WATCH]: It's official! The opening is underway by Minister @SollyMalatsi, joined by Mr Dabie Francis, Principal of Sibongumbomvu Combined School, who unveiled the plaque and officially opened the brand-new Coding & Robotics Lab in Howick. — Dept of Communications & Digital Technologies (@CommsZA) April 15, 2025 The statement also revealed that police had not arrived at the scene by the time of the statement, which was distributed Wednesday morning. 'This delay is disgraceful, and it sends a chilling message that rural communities can be violated without response,' the statement read. In a letter, the DA requested KZN police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to immediately deploy a dedicated task team to investigate the incident, demanding a clear timeline for arrests and public updates. The letter to Mkhwanazi said there has been a concerning delay in response from the police service. The incident appears planned and not opportunistic, possibly indicating an inside link. Prompt deployment of senior investigators is urgently requested to apprehend those responsible and send a strong message against targeting children's education. Increased police visibility and community engagement in rural schools are also crucial to prevent future incidents. On April 15, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi launched a Cyberlab and Robotics Lab in uMngeni with Software AG SA and uMngeni Municipality Mayor Chris Pappas. Image: Solly Malatsi/X Then, in parliamentary questions to the KZN Department of Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka, the party demanded accountability on the incident. Hlomuka was asked to provide details on: existing security infrastructure; prior risk assessments for the cyberlab handover; current security measures for high-value digital infrastructure in rural and township schools; the number of KZN schools receiving coding and robotics infrastructure since January 2023, and subsequent theft/vandalism incidents; immediate plans to replace stolen equipment; allocation of emergency funding for repairs; investigation into potential insider involvement; and collaboration plans with SAPS for high-risk school security. 'This is more than just a stolen resource. It is a stolen future. 'The DA calls on the community to speak up—do not protect those who steal from your children. Report them. Help ensure they face justice. If these criminals are allowed to walk free, the message is clear: rural learners don't matter,' the statement read. 'This tragedy reinforces the urgent need for a whole-of-society approach that the DA continues to advocate for—where government, communities, civil society, and law enforcement work together to protect and uplift our schools. Ensuring the safety and success of learners cannot rest on the shoulders of the state alone. It requires shared responsibility, active citizen involvement, and strong partnerships to create schools that are centres of hope, not targets of crime.' With only three days of training, the pupils had grasped coding and robotics. They demonstrated this to Communications and Technological Minister Solly Malatsi and uMngeni Municipality Mayor Chris Pappas. Image: uMngeni Local Municipality/X The public is requested to contact Detective Branch Commander Warrant Officer Sindane at 033 845 6526 with any information relevant to ongoing investigations. In a separate incident, KZN police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza said Hilton police are investigating a business burglary case after suspects reportedly broke into a school in Hilton between May 13 and 14. 'Reports indicate that laptops, cellphones, router, TV, and other items were stolen,' Magwaza said. 'The matter is still under investigation.'
IOL News
06-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
KwaZulu-Natal's Education Department grapples with R250 million debt crisis
Sadtu provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza has raised the union's concern about the financial state of the KZN Department of Education. Image: Indepenent Newspapers Archives A financial report has laid bare the deepening financial crises faced by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, painting a picture of an entity drowning in debt. The department owes close to R250 million to the eThekwini Municipality for water delivered by water tankers, as detailed in the financial report released by the municipality last week. This comes as the department is already battling to service a debt owed by Section 21 schools to the municipality for services. It was not immediately clear over what period the debt has been accumulated, but the report covers the latest period from January to March and details all debts owed to the municipality, including by consumers, business, and government. The financial state of the department is a concern to political parties and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), which claims that the department has collapsed financially. KZN Education faced serious budget cuts over the past few years and has revealed that it is struggling to meet its obligations. It has emerged that it has not paid all the suppliers of the school nutrition programme and missed salary payments to Grade R teachers, who were expected to be paid late last week. The financial report stated, 'An amount of R250 million is owed by the Department of Education for the supply of water tankers.' The City's eThekwini Water Services and the Department of Education have established that the water was supplied without a valid Service Level Agreement (SLA) in place; but the issue of the accumulated debt has not been resolved. Discussions are ongoing between the water service and the department on how to resolve the debt issue. The report also indicated that the department's Section 21 schools are struggling to keep up with their accounts, which have fallen into arrears despite a payment arrangement being in place. 'After engagements with the Department of Education, in May 2024, a payment arrangement was concluded for an amount of R169.1m, which was the debt owed by 521 schools at the time. The arrangement was that the department would pay this amount in equal instalments of R11m over 13 months after the initial down payment of R17m was made. The Department of Education has paid as per the agreement, with the last instalment for March still to be received. 'It should be noted that although an arrangement was reached with the Department of Education in May last year, the debt for 521 schools has continued to escalate due to schools not paying their current charges, which have now escalated into arrears,' said the report. The DA spokesperson on Education, Sakhile Mngadi, expressed alarm at the deepening financial implosion within the province's department. He said a crisis is now threatening the well-being of millions of pupils and the constitutional viability of KZN's education system. 'This is no longer just a financial issue. It is a humanitarian and constitutional crisis, born out of poor leadership and a toxic culture of evasion and spin. Every day that passes without urgent intervention places more children at risk, undermines their right to education, and erodes the public's faith in government,' he said. Sadtu provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza said the department has collapsed. 'As we speak, some Grade R practitioners have not been paid. The department is struggling to pay service providers for school nutrition programmes, acting personnel have not received acting allowances, and some officials cannot attend important workshops. Some service providers that assisted with stationery at the beginning of the year have not been paid. "Schools have not received their full basic allocation for 2024. What else do we need to see to say that the department has collapsed?' she asked. Addressing the issue of unpaid school nutrition service providers, the department said it is addressing this and blamed a system glitch for the delay in payment. '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. The problem has nothing to do with the financial difficulties of the department, as the NSNP is paid from the grant allocation. We remain committed to transparency, timely communication, and the uninterrupted provision of meals to our pupils across the province,' it said. Speaking on the issue of the debt, Education Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said: 'We are in agreement with them (municipality) as to how this is being addressed. We hold meetings with them and discuss these issues.' THE MERCURY
IOL News
22-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
KwaZulu-Natal Education Department reassures teachers about salary payments
The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal has moved to quell any fears that its teachers are at risk of not receiving their salaries due to budget shortfalls. The department stated that the salaries for the teachers are ring-fenced, and the teachers will be paid. It emerged recently that the department is facing a severe budget shortfall. DA spokesperson on Education, Sakhile Mngadi, said the currently presented budget has a shortfall of R1.3 billion. 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 ✕ 'The operational budget, which is about 7% of the total budget, can be further reduced to cover this shortfall, but roughly 2,336 posts are at risk should the current budget not be amended to cover that salary shortfall,' he said. In a statement, the department said it has never occurred that teachers are not paid their salaries and that this will not happen. Spokesperson for the Education MEC, Mlu Mtshali, stated, 'We wish to state for the record that teachers are and will continue to be the most valuable assets of the education sector. They are an important part of the reason why the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal continues to perform despite the successive cuts to its budget. Therefore, we reject any suggestions that the department intends to disrupt teachers' livelihoods by withholding salaries. This has never happened before, and it will not happen now. The funds for the payment of teachers' salaries will continue to be ring-fenced from the allocated budget, which guarantees the payment of salaries.' The spokesperson added that the MEC of Education in the province, Sipho Hlomuka, led the department's strategic plan where various stakeholders of the sector, including teachers' unions, came up with resolutions to take education in the province to even greater heights. 'We rely on the continued support of the people of KwaZulu-Natal as we take on the task of empowering the young people of KwaZulu-Natal through quality education and skills,' he added, noting that Hlomuka will deliver the department's budget vote speech on the 29th of April 2025, where he will clearly outline how the department's budget will fund the programmes of the department. THE MERCURY
