Dept too broke to pay rent!

KZN Education Department (DoE) is in financial crisis. According to documents seen by Daily Sun, the department can't afford to pay rent, and this has affected infrastructure projects in schools.

Despite numerous attempts by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) to get its money, the user department has ignored all requests.

On 7 April, DPWI acting head, Dr Vish Govender, wrote two letters to the DoE. The first letter was to all leasors of office accommodation occupied by the DoE. The DPWI notified them it has been experiencing various challenges in securing payments from the DoE to meet its rental obligations.Meanwhile, the second letter informed the DoE of temporary suspension on all infrastructure projects of the DoE.

"We regret to advise that, to date, these payment challenges persist, which may delay payment of current and future rental, as well as settlement of any arrear rental payments," read the first letter.

"We hereby request your indulgence herein while we attempt to resolve these challenges with DoE, which resolution may include, but is not limited to, the transfer of the administration of these leases to the DoE on behalf of the KZN Provincial Government."

In the second letter, Govender warned that his department was faced with challenges in securing payments from the DoE in order to complete its numerous infrastructure projects.

He stated: "We regret to advise that, to date, these payment challenges have not been resolved and that continued implementation of these projects may possibly jeopardise the futures of all affected service providers.

"In view of the aforegoing, we hereby notify you that the department will be temporarily placing all infrastructure projects for the DoE on hold, until further notice.

"We further wish to place on record that this is not a decision that has been taken lightly by the department and was arrived at only after all other attempts at a resolution proved unsuccessful."

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Recently, pupils from Ndondakusuka High School in Macambini near Mandeni blocked the local main road. They demanded toilets after a contractor abandoned the site due to non-payment.

In February 2025, Parliament's Basic Education Committee spent a week in the province conducting oversight visits to schools in the Ugu and Ilembe education districts.

The committee came across several unfinished schools where contractors had either disappeared or abandoned projects because they were not paid by the department.

Daily Sun has learnt that at an Executive Committee (Exco) meeting convened on 31 March 2025, a resolution was adopted to exclude all the DoE infrastructure projects from the 2025/26 Annual Performance Plan.

Daily Sun has contacted the DoE spokesman for comment, after countless efforts since Friday, Daily Sun never received any communication from them.