The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has been ordered by the Pietermaritzburg High Court to immediately pay overdue subsidies to three Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, following months of non-payment that have pushed many centres across the province into crisis.
Judge Siphokazi Jikela ruled in favour of the three crèches — Sakhokwethu, Phumelela, and Zenzeleni — after they brought an urgent application supported by Friends of South Africa (FOSA) and the KwaZulu-Natal Early Childhood Development Alliance. The Legal Resources Centre is representing the organisations.
The court found that the department owes each of the three crèches amounts ranging between R37,873 and R63,784, with one reportedly owed over R130,000 in total. Judge Jikela gave the department ten days to settle the payments, rejecting the department’s request for a 30-day extension due to internal system challenges.
The ruling comes amid mounting pressure on the department, which took over the administration of ECD subsidies from the Department of Social Development (DS
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