The education sector has long been haunted by allegations of corruption, with the 2016 "jobs-for-cash" scandal exposing how teaching posts were being sold to the highest bidder.
Nearly a decade later, the ghost of that crisis still lingers on, robbing South Africans of quality services, denying deserving educators fair opportunities, and eroding trust in a system meant to empower the nation’s children.
Back in 2016, Professor Volmink led an investigation into the sale of educator positions, which revealed that in six provinces, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) was implicated in selling posts. The report called for urgent remedial action, yet since then, the public has received little clarity on whether accountability was ever enforced in those provinces.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has now written to Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube, urging her to bring the matter before the Portfolio Committee. The party wants both the Department of Basic Education and provincial education departments to account for what steps, if any, have been taken to implement the Volmink Report’s findings in the implicated provinces.
DA spokesperson on Public Service & Administration, Jan de Villiers, said he has pushed for stronger oversight to ensure government is held accountable for the Volmink Report’s findings.
He added that the DA welcomes the Education Labour Relations Council’s decision to launch a nationwide physical verification of educators as a critical step in rooting out ghost workers.
"I believe that the committee must address the matter of ghost employees on the payrolls of the Provincial Departments of Education. The DA welcomes that the Education Labour Relations Council will undertake a nationwide physical verification of educators, which will target ghost teachers and the corrupt selling of posts. The investigation by the ELRC is set for completion by October 2025, representing the decisive action that South Africans have been demanding.”
De Villiers stressed that stricter oversight is non-negotiable, with the Committee set to demand quarterly progress reports, standardised templates, and firm deadlines to finally root out ghost employees. He warned that ghost workers are bleeding state resources dry.
“Every rand lost to ghost salaries is stolen from classrooms, hospitals, and the very communities government is meant to serve. Treasury must step in with regular reporting to Parliament to ensure this theft ends,” he added.
De Villiers further stated that funds lost to ghost employees and the sale of posts must be stopped immediately, insisting that this entrenches patronage and corruption. He said the stolen money should instead be redirected towards economic growth, job creation, and delivering quality services to South Africans.
Responding to the Volmink Report allegations, South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) spokesperson Nomusa Cembi argued that the union had been unfairly targeted. She explained that of the 81 cases investigated by the Ministerial Task Team (MTT), only 38 warranted further probing, and Sadtu’s name appeared in just 22 of them.
“In 12 of those 22 cases, no further action was recommended, while in seven, further steps were advised,” Cembi said. “Importantly, there was no evidence that those implicated acted on behalf of, or under the instruction of, Sadtu. As a union, we have never taken a decision or adopted a policy to sell posts; whoever engaged in such conduct did so independently.”
Cembi explained that Sadtu is actively cooperating with the Department of Basic Education, Provincial Education Departments, and the Education Labour Relations Council in addressing ghost employees and irregular hiring practices.
She added that the union, along with four other unions, had called on the ELRC to conduct the investigation. Members are encouraged to fully engage in on-site verification, report any irregular appointments, sale of posts, or suspicious payroll entries, and use the confidential whistleblowing channels provided by investigators.
Cembi emphasised that any member found culpable would face strict accountability measures, including possible suspension or expulsion from the union.
The Star
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