The South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) in KwaZulu-Natal has temporarily suspended its work-to-rule protest following a financial commitment from Premier Thami Ntuli to support the province’s Education Department.
The union initiated the protest earlier this month in response to ongoing challenges faced by schools, including severe funding shortages. During the campaign, teachers limited their responsibilities strictly to classroom teaching, withdrawing from extra-curricular activities, meetings, and other non-teaching duties.
SADTU Provincial Secretary Nomarashiya Caluza said the union’s actions were intended to apply pressure on the authorities to urgently address the department’s operational shortcomings.
“Everything you can think of at school level cannot function if the department does not provide funding,” Caluza explained. “The work-to-rule campaign was aimed at highlighting this and pushing for action.”
Caluza confirmed that the union held a meeting with Premier Ntuli last week, during which he committed to sourcing R900 million from other government departments to assist the Education Department.
“We then requested a follow-up meeting with the department’s Head of Department (HOD) to clarify how this financial support will be implemented administratively,” she added.
While the protest has been paused, SADTU says it will continue to monitor the situation closely and push for long-term solutions to the systemic issues affecting schools in the province.