Nearly 100 unemployed teachers have set up camp outside the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education head office in Pietermaritzburg, demanding employment opportunities and highlighting what they describe as systemic issues in teacher hiring.
The group, comprising qualified educators from various districts including Zululand, Pinetown, and others, has been protesting since Monday. They have turned the area outside the department’s offices into a makeshift campsite, complete with camp chairs, blankets, and luggage, as some have spent multiple nights there. Placards displayed by the protesters include messages such as “We are not happy about your feedback. We want to teach” and “No job, no vote,” underscoring their desperation for permanent teaching positions.
Demonstrators allege that they are being overlooked for available posts, with claims that teaching jobs in schools are being sold rather than allocated based on merit and qualifications. Some participants have reportedly been unemployed for as long as seven to ten years. Many have left their children at home and come from distant areas in search of resolution, describing the protest as their last resort after unsuccessfully seeking opportunities in other provinces.
The teachers have expressed running low on food and are calling for intervention from provincial authorities. They are particularly hoping for a meeting with the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Education to address their grievances directly.
The protest occurs against the backdrop of the recent provincial budget tabled by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Finance Francois Rodgers, which allocated a substantial portion to the Department of Education—part of an overall provincial budget exceeding R168 billion. A significant share of education funding is intended to support teacher-related needs, including addressing salary pressures and hiring to tackle high unemployment rates among qualified educators.
Department officials have not yet publicly responded to the allegations of job selling or engaged directly with the group, according to reports from the scene. The teachers have vowed to remain camped outside until their concerns are addressed, amid a broader context of recurring protests by unemployed professionals in the education and health sectors in the province.