Key Points
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Principal served nearly three years without full acting pay.
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Arbitrator says the delay was due to administrative failures.
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Education department ordered to pay over R722,000 by May 30.
The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) has ruled in favor of a Free State principal. It ordered the provincial Department of Education to pay more than R722,000 in unpaid acting allowances.
Molangoana Zacharia Pholosi acted as principal at Ipekiseng Secondary School from June 2021 to March 2024.
Yet, the department paid him for only three months of this service. Despite receiving a draft settlement, Pholosi was the only one who signed it.
As a result, the payment dispute continued. He decided to take the issue to the ELRC for a formal resolution.
Education department ordered to pay acting allowance after delay
During arbitration, the department acknowledged it owed Pholosi the money. Officials said they submitted the necessary paperwork to the Head of Department.
However, the HOD returned the documents to the district office without progress.This poor handling sparked frustration and delays.
Arbitrator Monde Boyce, who presided over the case, strongly criticized the department’s inefficiency. He blamed the delay entirely on internal administrative failures.
“The department failed to give a proper explanation,” he said. “Even if internal issues existed, a three-year delay is still unreasonable.”
Arbitrator says delay violated labor rights
Boyce expressed disappointment that the department didn’t resolve the issue internally. He stressed that the delay created an unfair labor practice. He concluded that Pholosi deserved the full acting allowance.
As a result, the ELRC ordered the department to pay the outstanding R722,000. The payment deadline is 30 May 2025.
This case serves as a reminder. Timely and fair compensation remains a basic right for all public servants.
Departments must improve how they handle internal processes, especially when workers take on extra duties.
