The Eastern Cape Department of Education’s reporting on performance information is a stumbling block for the province’s Auditor-General’s office, the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries heard on Monday.
The committee is currently on a week-long oversight visit of the province to assess, among other things, the current backlog in school infrastructure projects. The committee is also looking at human resources, in particular capacity building and teacher shortages and teacher to learner ratios. In addition, the committee is assessing criminality and extortion in schools, the impact of budget cuts, and school sanitation and the eradication of pit latrines in the province.
The committee Chairperson, Mr Makhi Feni, urged provincial officials not to regard the committee visit as an ambush but rather part of the committee’s planned programme after visits to Gauteng and Free State last year. “It does not assist the people when we just receive reports. For a balanced view on how we conduct our oversight work, we need to go out and visit what is reflected on these reports,” he said.
The Auditor-General’s business unit leader for the Eastern Cape, Mr Thobile Nteta, briefed the committee and said the province was unable to provide supporting evidence that the monies paid are used for the intended purposes as stated in annual performance plans.
The province has received qualified audit outcomes, with a number of material irregularities, such as paying former employees once they have left the department, which has incurred losses of R12.6 million. In addition, the department is late in paying suppliers and the scholar transport is unmonitored, although it is run collaboratively with the Department of Transport.
“We audited the programme and there was no evidence provided that officials were monitoring the scholar transport. Children are put in vehicles that are not in good condition,” Mr Nteta said. He also noted that funds not spent for the intended purpose are having a negative effect on children, especially in the early childhood education development (ECD) sector.
Other problematic areas are the unused Microsoft IT contract licence, officials receiving money from the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme, and the ECD programme.
The members will discuss the Auditor-General’s report later today.
Sibongile Maputi
20 October 2025
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