The Herald reports that after a year-long battle to get her husband paid, the wife of an Eastern Cape tutor turned to the Public Protector (PP) – and won.

The man had worked at Tinara High School in Kariega from April to September 2021 under a 12-month contract issued by the Eastern Cape education department. He provided extra support in Afrikaans and English. But despite showing up every day and signing the attendance register, he was never paid. According to the PP report, repeated efforts by his wife to get answers from the school and the Nelson Mandela Bay district office hit a wall. After more than 12 months of silence and frustration, the wife laid a complaint with the PP in 2022. The findings were released this week as part of the PP’s quarterly report. The PP slammed the department for the delay and said the case clearly showed maladministration. “It is unacceptable that an individual who rendered a public service could go unpaid for more than a year. The state must act swiftly and within the law. People should not have to beg for what is rightfully theirs,” the report indicated.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Brandon Nel at The Herald

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