Latest news with #MpumalangaDepartmentofEducation
The Citizen
17-07-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga education department targets 90% matric pass rate for 2025
The Mpumalanga Department of Education's (DoE) Winter Vacation Classes for Grade 12 learners are currently under way. These sessions began on Monday, July 7 and will run until Friday, July 18. A total of 23034 learners are attending the programme, all from schools that achieved below an 80% pass rate in the 2024 National Senior Certificate examinations. According to former MEC for education, Cathy Dlamini, the Winter Classes form a key part of the department's intervention strategy. 'We aim to provide targeted academic support, close learning gaps, and help learners prepare for improved performance in their final exams,' said Dlamini. The department has appointed experienced, high-performing teachers with proven track records to facilitate the sessions. Their expertise is expected to accelerate academic recovery and expose learners to effective teaching strategies. ALSO READ: Business seminar uplifts youth in Pienaar To support attendance, the DoE is providing daily meals and scholar transport to qualifying learners for the duration of the programme. Officials from the department visited Lekazi Central Secondary School on the opening day to monitor the start of the programme. ALSO READ: Mpumalanga education department ready for 2025 winter classes 'Our goal is clear – to raise the provincial matric pass rate to 90%. To achieve this, we urge parents, guardians and the broader school community to support and encourage the learners to attend these classes consistently,' said Dlamini. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
PSA calls for urgent action to eliminate ghost workers from public service
Ghost workers are fraudulent entries on government payrolls, receiving salaries without performing any work. The Public Servants Association (PSA), representing more than 245 000 public-sector employees, calls for immediate, decisive actions to eliminate ghost workers from South Africa's public service. Ghost workers are fraudulent entries on government payrolls, receiving salaries without performing any work. This deep-rooted and systemic form of payroll fraud continues to drain billions from public coffers, severely undermining service delivery and robbing deserving South Africans, particularly the youth, of meaningful employment. These fictitious employees are inserted into the system through deliberate collusion between corrupt officials. Recent investigations have highlighted the alarming extent of the problem. In 2024, the Mpumalanga Department of Education uncovered R6.4 million in such fraudulent payments. The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa's payroll audit revealed nearly 3 000 ghost workers. Similar concerns emerged at the Gauteng Department of Health, which recently froze the salaries of over 200 unverified employees. The PSA warns that if only 1% of the public-service workforce of 1.3 million employees is compromised by ghost workers, the state could be losing over R3.9 billion annually. Such money should be used to employ qualified educators, nurses, social workers, and other critical positions or be invested in infrastructure and service delivery. Equally troubling is the growing suspicion that early-retirement schemes may be exploited to discreetly remove ghost workers from payrolls, whilst corrupt officials cash out huge pension benefits. This theory remains unproven, but the lack of transparency in early-retirement processes raises legitimate concerns. The PSA, therefore, calls for rigorous audits of all such schemes, including biometric verification and cross-checking with payroll data. To end this crisis, the PSA demands the immediate implementation of biometric and in-person verification of all public servants, digitisation of payroll systems with real-time oversight, and the imposition of harsh penalties for officials involved in payroll fraud. The PSA supports international best practices such as those adopted in Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania, where digital verification systems have saved millions. The PSA will continue to work closely with the Department of Public Service and Administration, National Treasury, and oversight bodies to strengthen public-service payroll integrity. The PSA will further pursue whistle-blower protection measures for the Union's members and intensify the campaign to raise awareness among public servants about their role in identifying and reporting fraud. The PSA is committed to building a transparent, professional, and future-ready public service. The ghost worker phenomenon is a financial crime as well as an attack on the integrity of government and the rights of citizens, and should be rooted out as a matter of urgency. The Public Servants Association, Pretoria
The Citizen
05-07-2025
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga education opens housing allowance fraud case against two officials
The Mpumalanga Department of Education (DoE) formally opened a case of fraud with the SAPS against two officials from the Ehlanzeni School District on June 29. This follows an internal investigation into allegations of fraud and corruption related to the irregular processing of housing allowances. According to the DoE's spokesperson, Gerald Sambo, the investigation found that the two officials had unlawfully manipulated the payment system by processing housing allowances outside their authorised Persal distribution code – an internal payroll system code that links public servants to their specific department and cost centre. These actions were carried out without the necessary approvals. The transactions, which occurred between July and November 2024, led to educators and other officials from various districts unduly benefitting from housing allowance payments. ALSO READ: Mpumalanga Department of Education suspends principal over sexual harassment claims 'These payments were processed without compliance to established administrative procedures. The department has suspended the implicated officials to allow the investigation to proceed without interference,' Sambo said. He added that the department would conduct an internal disciplinary hearing and reiterated its zero-tolerance approach to fraud, corruption and unethical conduct. ALSO READ: New Covid-19 variant: Public urged to remain calm 'Public servants are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity and operate strictly within the bounds of the law. Any deviation will be met with the full might of the law. The department will not release the names of the implicated officials to safeguard the integrity of ongoing legal and disciplinary processes,' Sambo said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
05-07-2025
- The Citizen
Mpumalangan serial child rapist gets three life sentences
A 38-year-old serial rapist was sentenced by the Volksrust Regional Court to three life terms on Wednesday, June 5. The convict was involved in the rape of three minors. According to the Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, the first incident was reported in Mkhondo in 2023, October 11. The man approached an eight-year-old girl at her home asked her to buy a box of matches at a nearby shop. He handed her R5 and told her to keep R2. The man then persuaded her to accompany him to a sports ground where he raped her. In the same area, he targeted the nine-year-old girl (9) on October 18, 2023. She was playing with her younger brother when she was approached by him. ALSO READ: Carolina man jailed for 15 years for rape He sent her to call his friend for him, then followed and raped her in an abandoned house near a church. After that, he gave her a R2 coin and instructed her not to tell anyone. He was unknown to the victim, but was later identified. The third incident took place in Volksrust on August 17, 2024. An 11-year-old victim was playing with her younger brothers at their home when the man approached her and convinced her to call his friend. He followed her, raped her and beat her before fleeing the scene. The community assisted the police in arresting the man on August 24, 2024, after being identified by the victim. Further investigation connected him to the rape cases in Mkhondo,' said Mdhluli. The convict abandoned his bail application and remained in custody from the date of his arrest until the day of sentencing. He pleaded guilty to all three counts. ALSO READ: Mpumalanga Department of Education suspends principal over sexual harassment claims 'The court ordered that the counts run concurrently. He was declared unfit to possess a firearm and it was ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders,' said Mdhluli. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
02-07-2025
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga Department of Education suspends principal over sexual harassment claims
The Mpumalanga Department of Education (DoE) has placed the principal of a secondary school in Acornhoek, in the Bohlabela District, on precautionary suspension following allegations of sexual harassment. Mpumalanga News reports that in a statement dated June 26, the DoE's spokesperson, Gerald Sambo, said this action has been taken to enable an investigation into the matter and to safeguard the best interests of learners. 'The department treats all allegations of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness, and acts in strict accordance with the Employment of Educators Act No 76 of 1998. 'In particular, Section 17 provides for the mandatory dismissal of any educator found guilty of serious misconduct, including: committing an act of sexual assault against a learner; engaging in a sexual relationship with a learner and encouraging or coercing a learner to participate in sexual acts,' he said. Sambo added that Section 18 of the Act outlines other forms of misconduct that may warrant disciplinary action, including sexual harassment. He said such cases are handled through formal disciplinary processes to ensure fairness, accountability and legal compliance. 'The department will also refer this matter to the South African Council for Educators, which holds the authority to deregister educators found guilty of sexual misconduct, thereby prohibiting their re-employment in any educational institution within the country.' Sambo said educators are entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding learners and are regarded as in loco parentis while learners are in their care. 'Any violation of this trust, especially through inappropriate relationships or misconduct, is not only unethical, but also a serious breach of professional and legal obligations. The department is therefore deeply disturbed by allegations of this nature and wishes to assure the public that it will take decisive disciplinary action against any educator found to have acted inappropriately,' explained Sambo. He said the DoE remains committed to fostering a safe, supportive and enabling learning environment for all learners. He called on parents, learners and members of the school community to continue to report any suspected incidents of sexual misconduct by educators – or any other person – to law enforcement institutions, including the SAPS and the DoE. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
