The KwaZulu-Natal education department, under the leadership of MEC Sipho Hlomuka, has finally acknowledged that it has failed to pay certain suppliers to the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), which provides food to thousands of underprivileged schools throughout the province.
The admission comes two weeks after the department categorically denied the service providers’ association’s initial allegations of wrongdoing.
Millions of underprivileged students would go hungry if they lost the only wholesome meal they receive at school, according to Lindani Matiwane, the association’s chairperson.
Matiwane said at the time that the non-payment of service providers was endangering the programme.
Thanduxolo Cele, the programme’s director, stated in an internal memo that the Sunday World was able to obtain that only the March invoices were unpaid.
Matiwane did, however, previously state that some suppliers had not received payment since November 2024.
Cause for delays identified
Although the department has tried its best to make sure that there is a payment run for the service providers at every chance, they have run into difficulties.
Cele stated that the delay in making the payments was caused by the switch from Basic Accounting System (BAS) Version 5 to BAS Version 6.
“Subsequent attempts to release the remaining payments on Friday, April 25, were unsuccessful due to interface problems between the BAS and PERSAL [Personnel and Salary] systems, leading to such payments being bombed out of the system,” Cele explains in the memo.
“After obtaining a second approval for a special run on Tuesday, April 29, the payment processing continued once again. However, further setbacks were encountered, prolonging the resolution process.
“The department made another attempt at the payment run once again on Friday, May 2, 2025, which was also unsuccessful.
“These continuous attempts are demonstrable evidence that the department is doing all it can to pay service providers.”
He added that the next payment run is set for May 5, citing that the department was getting ready for it.
Overdue payments set to be settled by Thursday
“We are optimistic that all technical challenges will be addressed by then, allowing recipients to receive their overdue payments by Thursday, May 8, 2025.
“It must be stated clearly that 78% of service providers have been paid up to date and only 22% have not yet been paid.
“The department has also sent the names of the service providers whose payments are delayed to districts with clear recommendations to mitigate non-feeding.”
Dr Thabang Mncwabe, the NSNP association’s spokesperson, claimed that the memo validated their longstanding public assertion that the department is behind schedule in paying suppliers.
The spokesperson of the department, Muzi Mahlambi, had not commented at the time of publishing.
