For the past four months, Intec College staff members have been complaining that they have not received their salaries.
Their mental health has suffered as a result of some people being in danger of losing their homes while their cars have been repossessed.
Educor, one of the biggest private educational institutions in Southern Africa, is the owner of Intec, a private college.
According to two coworkers, the college’s administration and leadership have disregarded their requests to be paid their dues.
According to one of the employees at the Durban campus, his health deteriorated as a result of the non-payment, and he is now unable to pay for medical assistance.
The employee, who wished to remain anonymous, also claimed that the organisation failed to contribute to their medical assistance and provident fund.
Battling health issues
Consequently, they do not receive the proper medical attention for their health issues.
“I have been battling with my health due to this. When we send emails to the management, they do not respond,” said the employee.
“Lately, I have had panic attacks and anxiety because I do not know about the future of my children.”
He added that he is from the Eastern Cape and that he was renting the house where he and his kids reside.
However, if the organisation does not pay them, they may be forced to leave the property.
According to another employee from the Pretoria campus, they want their money and to quit the institution.
“If they think we still want to continue working, they are wrong. We want our money and then leave. So many of us want to leave, but people cannot leave money they worked for,” she said.
“This is so sad because it affects students who paid their hard-earned cash to further their studies. They are now in limbo; no one knows what is going to happen.
“There are no talks about exams, their test marks, or if they will continue with their studies next year.”
Provisional reinstatement
Recently, Educor has made headlines for non-compliance after the group neglected to submit their 2020 and 2021 tax clearance certificates and annual financial statements.
The Educor colleges were allowed to reopen in October, but only after meeting stringent requirements, like submitting monthly reports and six months’ worth of financial records.
According to the Department of Higher Education, if the educator fails to fulfil these conditions, it retains the right to revoke the provisional reinstatement.
Employees, students, and parents, however, started to voice their disapproval, claiming that the institutions under Educor’s control were exploiting them.
They expressed dissatisfaction over the denial of refund requests, the lack of resources, and the non-payment of salaries.
When Sunday World emailed the group’s management a list of questions, they did not respond.
