SADTU WELCOMES ELRC INVESTIGATION INTO GHOST WORKERS
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) applauds the Education Labour Relations Council’s (ELRC) recent appointment to lead a systematic, nationwide inquiry into allegations of ghost workers in our public schooling system.
This crucial step, mandated by the five teacher unions, the Department of Basic Education in the bargaining council, and all nine provincial education departments, signals a collective commitment to rooting out corruption and restoring trust in our public education payroll.
Ghost Workers as a Symptom of Deeper Corruption
Ghost workers are not an administrative hiccup; they represent orchestrated criminal syndicates that siphon scarce public resources into private pockets. Every phantom name on the payroll diverts funds away from real educators and learners, starving classrooms of materials, crippling learner support programmes, and undermining hard won gains in educational equity. The syndicates steal the future of our nation.
Interconnected Malpractice- Selling of Posts and Undermining Quality
Alongside ghost appointments, the illicit trade of teaching posts further corrodes merit and
professionalism. When positions are sold to the highest bidder, capable educators are shut out, morale plummets, and our collective mission to deliver quality public education is compromised. These linked practices, ghost workers and selling posts form a network of corruption that inflicts harm on our most vulnerable children and erodes the foundations of democracy in our schools.
Why SADTU Supports the ELRC Probe
SADTU stands firm behind the ELRC’s dual approach of physical verification and forensic audit.
• Physical verification ensures every individual on the payroll is present, teaching, working and accountable.
• Forensic investigation will trace the financial flows that benefit these criminal networks.
“As champions of transformative education, we cannot tolerate counterrevolutionaries who steal from learners’ futures. We support the ELRC’s mandate because integrity in our profession is nonnegotiable,” says General Secretary Dr Mugwena Maluleke.
Call to Action- Unite, Cooperate, Expose
We call upon every SADTU member to become active partners in this campaign for accountability.
You can help by:
• Participating fully in on-site verification processes; ensure your presence is recorded and
documented.
• Once investigation is on, coming forward with any information on irregular appointments, postselling transactions, or suspicious payroll entries.
• Using investigator’s dedicated whistle blowing channels to report corruption confidentially.
Together, we will shine a light on these counterrevolutionaries and reclaim every rand owed to South Africa’s children.
SADTU reaffirms its commitment to quality, equity, and professionalism in public education. By the ELRC investigation and mobilising our membership to expose corrupt syndicates,
we strengthen the foundations of our democratic schooling system and safeguard the promise of a fair, high quality education for every learner.
ISSUED BY: SADTU Secretariat