Provincial education departments’ procedural errors should not be detrimental to children, educators and other role-players in schools. Following several attempts by the school governing body organisation FEDSAS to get the Mpumalanga Education Department to adhere to its statutory obligations, this department eventually reacted with post provisioning norms for 2026 that sent shock waves through public schools in the province. Some schools lost half of their educator posts while other schools lost posts while still waiting for additional posts awarded in the previous post provisioning norms.

          FEDSAS sent several letters to the Mpumalanga Education Department in the run-up to the statutory deadline of 30 September and continued to do so after the department failed to meet the deadline. However, no communication was received from the provincial education department. The 2026 post provisioning was finally announced this week (18 November 2025) after FEDSAS met with the department.

          “We have instructed our attorney to formally request the withdrawal of the 2026 post provisioning. The Mpumalanga Education Department must also ensure that public schools are not in position that is worse than in 2025,” says Dr Juané van der Merwe-Mocke, Deputy CEO and Head of Legal Services at FEDSAS.

          Van der Merwe-Mocke says in 2011 FEDSAS obtained a court order in the Eastern Cape where the court found that the deadline of 30 September as determined in the legislation is an “inflexible deadline”. 

          “School governing bodies are legally obliged to finalise their budgets within a specific timeframe. However, nothing can happen until schools know how many posts will be available for the next school year. The budget cannot be finalised, nor can principals do curriculum planning.”

          Concerns about work security cause professional anxiety among teachers and threaten stability in school communities. “And all of this because officials are either incompetent or unwilling to fulfil their legal obligations. This pattern will repeat itself as there are no consequences for such blatant dereliction of duty.”

          The Mpumalanga Education Department also neglected its duty to consult with all stakeholders, as FEDSAS had to remind the department several times. “The provincial education department’s actions are outrageous. We have instructed FEDSAS member schools in Mpumalanga to submit appeals with reasons urgently. We also informed the National Department of Basic Education and the Office of the Minister, and requested their assistance in this matter.”

          Van der Merwe-Mocke says FEDSAS’s commitment to a cooperative approach is clear through the several letters to and requests for meetings with the provincial education department. “We are willing and have the expertise to assist. However, once we reach the point where there is no ‘co’ in cooperation, FEDSAS will not hesitate to take more drastic action.”