DA calls for resignation of KZN Education Head amid financial crisis
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal is calling for the resignation of Nkosinathi Ngcobo, the Head of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education.
The DA spokesperson on Education, Sakhile Mngadi, stated that under Ngcobo’s leadership, the department has been deteriorating financially. “For too long, KZN’s Department of Education (DoE) – under the leadership of HOD Nkosinathi Ngcobo – has lurched from one scandal to another, from irregular procurement processes to mismanagement of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), and now finds itself unable to pay service providers.”
Mngadi emphasised that this is a clear sign of failed leadership at the administrative level. While the DA acknowledges that KZN has suffered cumulative budget cuts of R26 billion over the past six years, Mngadi said, poor management and reckless decision-making have compounded the problem. Such decisions includes absorbing temporary Covid-19 support staff onto the DoE’s permanent payroll, without any sustainable funding plan, have added further strain to already limited resources.
“The reality is that while all provinces have faced austerity, KZN’s DoE has become uniquely unstable because of maladministration. It is unacceptable that by mid-financial year, the department is already unable to pay suppliers. This is not just a financial crisis – it is an assault on the right to basic education for millions of learners in KZN,” he stated.
He added, The DA notes that the department is now under Section 18 Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), which gives provincial Treasury oversight of its spending. While this is necessary to prevent further financial collapse, it is a damning indictment against the HOD and senior management, who have presided over years of irregularities and mismanagement.
“The DA therefore calls for the immediate removal of HOD Ngcobo on the basis that his continued presence is undermining efforts to restore stability and accountability in the department. The future of our children cannot be entrusted to an administration so tainted by maladministration and incapable of basic financial discipline.”
“We further urge KZN Premier Thami Ntuli to act decisively by supporting Minister Gwarube and MEC Rodgers in their reform efforts. Education is the single most important investment in KZN’s future, and unless there is accountability at the highest levels, no financial bailout will resolve the crisis,” Mngadi concluded.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education, Muzi Mahlambi, stated that the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, in the Monday meeting, indicated that this problem is affecting not only the KZN province but the entire sector, with KZN being hard hit due to its size. “This situation has been caused by the budget cuts that have been occurring over the years. Even the premier indicated that the province has had to shed R80 billion, and when this is proportioned equally, a significant portion is taken from the Department of Education. Both the minister and the premier committed to engaging with the president and the minister of finance, respectively, regarding this issue. This issue cannot be attributed to an individual.”