Durban – Early Childhood Development (ECD) in KwaZulu-Natal is being hindered by the costs of “ghost teachers,” resulting in some hard-pressed centres shutting down.
The addition of ghost teachers to the payroll has siphoned the limited budget, and now there is no money to pay real teachers at some ECD centres.
Earlier this week, on Monday, 29 September 2025, ECD centre owners and affected teachers picketed outside the Premier’s Office at Marine Building in Durban.
Some ECD teachers complained that they had not yet been paid, while others said they only received part of their salaries.
Picketer Mandulu Khuzwayo said ECD centre owners and teachers were protesting because the Department of Basic Education had failed to pay them.
On the same day, Basic Education Minister Nosiviwe Gwarube met with KwaZulu-Natal Finance MEC Francois Rodgers and Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka at the KZN Premier’s office in Durban to find solutions to the province’s education funding crisis exacerbated by ghost teachers.
Minister Gwarube revealed that her department needs at least R3.9 billion to resolve financial challenges at some schools and ECD centres in KZN.
Commenting on the matter, KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said: “I must remind everyone that this is not a new problem that we are facing, as we have inherited the government with a bill of almost R70 billion”.
MEC Rodgers said Artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to tackle the problem of ghost teachers.
MEC Rodgers explained that “there is AI software” that can be used to monitor teachers via cell phones.
