The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has agocome under fire from the school nutrition service providers who are demanding long overdue payments for feeding two million learners in the province.
They have accused the department, led by MEC Sipho Hlomuka, of repeatedly failing to pay for services rendered as part of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP).
The chairperson of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) Service Providers Association, Lindani Matiwane said the non-payment is taking a toll on their members.
The NSNP claims that some of its members were last paid in late 2024 and hardly anything in 2025.
“Adding fuel to the fire, outstanding payments from the 2024 financial year remain unpaid, pushing service providers to the brink of collapse. The Association believes this is further evidence that the NSNP grant is being redirected to fund other departmental activities, in violation of its intended purpose.
“These delays and decisions are a direct assault on the constitutional rights of learners. Without us, there is no school nutrition. And without nutrition, there is no learning,” Matiwane said.
He added that the NSNP is calling for the immediate payment of all outstanding invoices for the 2024 financial year, a halt on further menu changes until full consultation takes place, and the urgent intervention from the Leader of Government Business, Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
The Association also wanted the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube’s intervention, and long-term structural reforms that include infrastructure support and financial
adjustments aligned with programme demands.
Matiwane stressed that the NSNP is a cornerstone of access to education and a critical pillar of community development and food security.
“The Association stands ready to work with the government, but demands to be treated with dignity, fairness, and as rightful partners in delivering this constitutional mandate,” he added.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department is also facing threats of legal action from service providers who supplied textbooks in January this year and they have gone unpaid by the department which owes service providers around R1.6 billion, according to media reports.
The department could not be reached for comment about the claims of non-payment by the association.
