14/06/2026
A recent case involving a teacher who was wrongly dismissed or medically boarded by the Department of Education has raised several questions. Despite the teacher's willingness to work for a significant part of 2024, he resumed duties upon his return to school and even participated in extracurricular activities. Notably, the teacher did not take a single sick day after his return. It appears that the Department of Education failed to follow proper labor procedures, specifically neglecting to have a neutral medical practitioner conduct an examination on the teacher. The HR representative claimed that the teacher had signed all necessary documents for medical boarding; however, the teacher successfully appealed the decision. As a result, the Department of Education has been ordered to pay the teacher R420,610 in back pay within 14 days. The question remains as to why the principal pushed for a false medical boarding, which implies document forgery, and why no disciplinary action has been taken against the principal and HR representative. As the Head of the Department of Education, an immediate investigation would have been implemented, and both the principal and HR representative would have been suspended for gross neglect pending the investigation. If I were the aggrieved teacher, I would file a formal grievance with the CCMA against the Department of Education. It is concerning that such incidents can occur when we expect qualified individuals to be in positions of authority.