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1,000 signatures reached
To: Lindiwe Zulu, Minister of Social Development of South Africa
Pay The ECD Relief Funds Now!
The Centre for Early Childhood Development has sent this open letter (https://bit.ly/3sQdX79) to Minister Lindiwe Zulu. A summary is presented below. Sign the petition if you support this urgent request!
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐บ๐๐น๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ณ ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ญ/๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ญ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ.
The Department of Social Development (DSD) has failed to deliver on its promise to pay out the Presidencyโs Early Childhood Development (ECD) Employment Stimulus Relief Funds to over 108,833 ECD principals, teachers and other staff by the deadline DSD provided; the end of the 2020/2021 financial year - 31 March 2021.
The ECD sector was given three weeks to apply for the Stimulus Relief Fund (after fighting for an extra week). By the deadline 116,578 ECD workers had applied for the funds, but DSD has only paid 36% of the funds in the 11 months and 3 weeks since the deadline closed. Payments to over 70,000 ECD workers across South Africa from the ECD Stimulus Relief Fund are almost a full year late. This is a disgrace.
Despite numerous attempts, through protests and direct communication sent to the national DSD, there has been no substantial communication to ECD applicants from DSD about outstanding payments. The majority of applicants do not even know their application status. This requires urgent action on the part of DSD.
The department now has just over a month (28 working days) left to pay all outstanding ECD staff applicants before DSD loses over R300 million at the end of the 2021/2022 financial year on 31 March 2022.
As the verification and payment processes have seemingly now been moved from national DSD to the provincial offices; it is important for the minister to lead DSD to success in ensuring all ECD workers are paid in full, before losing the remaining R300 million in taxpayers' monies specifically designated for ECD workers.
Why is this important?
The delays in payment have resulted in hundreds of ECD centres buckling under the strain of Covid-19 and closing down as they cannot afford rent, electricity, nutrition for the children in their care, or staff salaries. Many staff members have had little to no income for almost two years, since the initial nation-wide lockdown in March 2020, and are struggling to put food on their tables and pay for basic needs โ they truly require emergency relief funding.