National checks by the ELRC aim to verify educators and pupils, addressing alleged payroll fraud and the selling of posts.
The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) will conduct the physical verification of educators and pupils in schools across the country to address allegations about ghost workers in the education sector.
Teachers unions, the Department of Basic Education, and the nine provincial Departments of Education have tasked the ELRC with urgently commissioning national projects, the organisation said on Friday.
The projects include the physical verification of educators and pupils in an attempt to address claims of ghost workers. The ELRC will also embark on a forensic investigation to address allegations of the selling of posts.
Ghost worker and selling posts allegations
The allegations of ghost workers in the Mpumalanga Department of Education were raised by Parliament’s Public Service and Administration Committee’s chairperson, Jan de Villiers, in May.
In 2024, the Auditor-General discovered that the provincial department paid R6.4 million in salaries to ghost workers.
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“Real people are drawing fraudulent salaries, and real taxpayer money is being syphoned into private pockets under the guise of legitimate employment,” de Villiers said in a media briefing.
The chairperson said that according to the Department of Public Service and Administration, at least three internal officials must conspire to add a ghost worker to the public payroll system.
“This means we are dealing not with random lapses in judgment but with embedded criminal syndicates operating in our public institutions,” de Villiers said.
Mpumalanga refutes claims of R6.5m salaries to ghost workers
The Mpumalanga Provincial Government, however, refuted the allegations, claiming that the R6.5 million had been incorrectly reported as salaries paid to ghost workers.
The premier’s office said previous investigations, including a 2023 physical verification by the provincial Treasury, found no evidence of ghost employees.
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The provincial government acknowledged isolated “late termination” cases but said measures are in place to strengthen payroll integrity. Late terminations are cases where an employee passes away shortly after a salary run has been processed.
“To ensure that the record is corrected and constructive engagement continues, the Department has resolved to write formally to the Portfolio Committee on Education, where the allegations emanated from, to clarify this matter and seek further guidance,” the premier’s office said on 11 June.
The ELRC said it will roll out physical verification and forensic investigation projects across all nine provinces.
Verification completion date
The expected completion date for the verification of educators and pupils is the end of October 2025, given the urgency and national importance of the process.
“These two major initiatives mark a significant step towards restoring the integrity of the sector and eradicating alleged corruption in the education system,” the ELRC said.
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