The Grahamstown High Court earlier this month ordered the department to pay the teachers by August 17, following an application by Legal Resources Centre in Grahamstown in May.

In cases where public schools had to hire teachers at their own expense because of the shortage, the court ordered that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her officials "are directed to pay the salaries of the teachers or reimburse the schools concerned from the date on which the teachers assumed duty".

Now the department of education's acting head of department, Mthunywa Ngonzo, said they were still in the process of settling salaries.

A temporary teacher in Ngqamakhwe, who asked not to be named, said he was frustrated by the turn of events.

"I am tired of being the burden of the school governing body. When is the department going to make sure that we receive what is due to us?" said the mathematics teacher.

The temporary teacher said: "I submitted all the documents the department needs but nothing has happened."

Speaking to The New Age, the director of the Legal Resources Centre, Sarah Sephton, said she was extremely concerned and disappointed about the matter.

"If they were experiencing problems they should have communicated this to me and the public.

"They have not done what they were supposed to do, which was to pay the temporary teachers.

"I will be in contact with them today to find out what their problems are. I am worried about this turn of affairs," said Sephton.

Ngonzo said all the temporary teachers would be paid at the end of the month.

"We have written to the court clarifying that we are in the process of paying all the temporary teachers.

"The problem is we cannot pay all of them instantly. This is government money and we need to follow all the rules for such payments."

The court also ordered that all temporary teachers axed last year be reappointed by September 2 and they should be made permanent by November 2.

Sithandiwe Velaphi

The New Age