Around 700 unemployed teachers are expected to march to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education offices in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday, demanding employment and greater transparency in hiring processes.
The march is set to begin on Langalibalele Street in the provincial capital before proceeding to the department’s offices, where protesters plan to hand over a memorandum of grievances.
Many of the educators say they have been without work for more than a decade, despite being qualified to teach critical subjects such as Mathematics, Science and Geography.
The group has accused the provincial education department of lacking transparency in its recruitment database and prioritising newly qualified graduates over experienced candidates.
One of the protesting teachers, Mbali Duma, questioned why qualified educators remain unemployed while schools face staffing shortages.
“We are qualified educators and ready to teach, yet there are schools without teachers. Why are we not being hired?” she asked.
Duma also raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the hiring process.
“We don’t have money to bribe for jobs. We rely on the department to employ us, but the database is not transparent. We cannot see where vacancies exist, even though we are registered,” she said.
The Department of Education is expected to receive and respond to the memorandum following the march.