Suppliers who have gone unpaid for months after supplying textbooks and related learning material to schools across KwaZulu-Natal are mulling taking the provincial Department of Education, led by MEC Sipho Hlomuka, to court.
The suppliers feel that the department is not prioritising them, yet they have delivered according to specifications.
Government has breached own undertaking
They also feel that the government has breached its own undertaking that all suppliers would be paid within 90 days after they delivered the material. This is 60 days later than the stipulated time for government departments to pay suppliers.
The undertaking to pay within 90 days is contained in a circular dated January 12 2025. It was signed by the head of department (HoD), Nkosinathi Ngcobo.
A discussion document was circulated among suppliers. In it, some of them are suggesting that the department should be dragged to court in order to force it to pay.
“In January 2025, we were instructed to supply schools with stock, with the promise of payment within 30 days. However, it has now been three months, and not a single supplier has received payment.
Circular details suppliers’ frustration
“The officials’ excuse is that they lack funds. Yet they continue to pay salaries, cell expenses, and car allowances. It is unacceptable that they prioritise these expenses over paying suppliers,” reads the document seen by Sunday World.
“We, as suppliers, have been taken for granted for far too long. It is time for the Department of Education to take responsibility for their actions. We should consider taking legal action to recover our outstanding payments.
“I propose that we, as a collective, take the Department of Education to court to seek justice and payment for our services. Let us stand together and demand the respect and payment we deserve.”
Supplier lost everything due to non-payment
Separately, one unpaid service provider details to the Sunday World how his business collapsed. He said he lost everything after he supplied 10 schools in Zululand and the department never paid him.
“The government keeps on making empty promises, but nothing is happening. I lost everything because of the department not paying section 21 schools their money,” the supplier said.
Over the past weekend, Sunday World reported that the department is broke. It further reported that it has been instructed to stop issuing new tenders because there is no money. The instruction from the KZN provincial treasury came as the department owed R1.6-billion to service providers.
Spokesperson for the department, Muzi Mahlambi, did not respond when asked why the department has not paid suppliers.
