This article may contain graphic and/or adult content unsuitable for minors and sensitive readers.
The Department of Education in the Eastern Cape and the National Department are facing yet another legal battle.
This, over its failure to pay more than R25m owed to teachers as directed in a court order in March.
On Wednesday the Grahamstown-based Legal Legal Resources Centre sent a writ of execution to the Sheriff of the High Court in King Williams Town and Pretoria to attach and take into execution the movable goods of the both Departments.
LRC director, Sarah Sephton, says in this matter they are representing the School Governing Bodies of schools in the Eastern Cape who are seeking payment of those teachers hired by the schools to fill vacancies that the Department left open.
She says this was the first opt-in class action and resulted in a court order against the Department of Education in March to which it had consented.
However, Sephton says they have also issued an application for contempt of court due the Department's failure to appoint teachers to vacant posts and a writ of execution to attach the moveable assets of the Department, both nationally and provincially, to satisfy the debt to the schools.
"The LRC has further requested the Department to adhere to court orders. Due to its inability to operate within reasonable time frames, the LRC has tried to meet the Department on numerous occasions to accommodate their delays. However, the schools have become frustrated and will not continue to shift the burden of the Departments failure to appoint and pay teachers onto the parents of learners," Septhon said.
"It is worth nothing that that, despite the dire conditions that many schools in the Eastern Cape, the Deputy Minister has heralded the Eastern Cape Department of Education for its performance."
