Nosipho Bhengu

Screeners employed by schools in Durban have not been paid for two months.

The employees who were offered jobs by the Department of Education in partnership with local schools were told that they would be screening staff and pupils from the month of June and would be paid R2000 for their services. However all of them say that they still have not received a single cent from their employers.

An employee from the school Khulangolwazi Learners with Special Educational needs, Nhlosenhle Cele said that they tried to speak to the principal of the school during the month of July but they went back and forth and did not give them any direct answers as to why they were not paid yet.

“The school secretary told us that she contacted the department of public works and the department of education, but did not get a clear response about the issue,” said Cele.

Furthermore, Cele said that the school gave them duties such as handing out learning material for learners to use during the period that schools are closed.

“We were given duties which were supposed to be done by teachers and we could not complain about it because we still wanted to keep our jobs in the hopes of getting an income eventually,” he added.

Another screener working at St Raphael’s Special School, Refiloe Masiteng said that she had also been working from June and she and her other co-workers still haven’t received pay for their work.

“I recently sent in my resignation at work because we were being exploited and not getting paid what we were promised,” said Masiteng.

Picture: npr.org