Cape Town - The appointment of the two curator principals will cost the Western Cape Education (WCED) more than R700 000 for seven months at Heathfield High School.
Their appointments came after former principal Wesley Neumann turned down a demotion offer by the department and was subsequently dismissed.
Neumann was dismissed after he refused to reopen the school amid the Covid-19 infection peak in 2020.
Education MEC David Maynier revealed the salary in a written reply after ANC provincial education spokesperson Khalid Sayed questioned whether the appointment of the acting principals was formally communicated to the school and the School Governing Body (SGB).
According to Maynier the combined remuneration of R718 329 was based on the prescribed salary determinations as per the Personnel Administration Measures for Educators, as well as a Post Level 4 grading of the principal’s.
The department’s decision of not bowing to demands of reinstating Neumann had caused chaos at the school with numerous protest actions and absenteeism.
An arbitration process is underway with parties expected to meet on July 28.
With schools reopened WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the school began a Grade 12 after-school tutoring programme on Tuesday which takes place Monday to Thursday, to support Grade 12 pupils as they prepare for their NSC examinations.
Sayed said the exorbitant expenditure on the Neumann matter left a lot to be desired.
“Over half a million was spent on disciplinary hearings, more funds will be wasted by the WCED on the bargaining council matter and now over R700 000 is spent on salaries of caretakers who are taking after him.
“This clearly shows Neumann made enemies in higher echelons of power. Secondly it proves that he was an excellent principal that it takes such an amount of money to replace him in just 7 months. We wish to reiterate our unwavering support for principal Neumann and condemn in the strongest possible terms the unfair targeting and firing of the progressive principal,” said Sayed.