Program feeds learners in 20 000 schools but exploits workers. Labour loophole keeps salaries low despite feeding 145 children per handler.
Image for illustrative purposes. Picture: iStock
It is sobering to realise that, as Statistics South Africa notes, between 2003 and 2025, the percentage of individuals who benefited from social grants increased from 12.8% to 39.5%, while the percentage of households that contained at least one individual who received a grant increased from 30.8% to 50.6%.
However, it is beyond sad that, as GroundUp reports for us today, it is the government itself that is employing people in school feeding schemes who are paid well below the legislated minimum wage.
Thousands of these people are earning just R2 300 per month, when the minimum wage is R4 000.
The national education department says nine million children are fed daily by the programme in 20 000 schools.
There are nearly 62 000 food handlers countrywide.
This works out to about 145 children fed twice a day per food handler.
So it’s not easy work.
Food handlers are paid under the government’s Expanded Public Works Programme, viewed by many as a sort of a hand-out.
Contracts signed by the workers stipulate they are under a stipend… which neatly slides into a labour law loophole.
However it is explained, or justified, this “salary” is simply exploitation and the authorities must review the situation immediately.
