KZN school feeding schemes bemoan payment delays
KwaZulu-Natal school feeding scheme suppliers are calling on
the provincial education department to improve its payment systems.
They have been frustrated by delays in paying their invoices.
In a statement on Sunday, KZN Education assured the service providers that all monies due have been paid should have been reflected on Tuesday.
The National School Nutrition Programme Service Providers Association's Thabang Mncwabe says some payments were only reflected on Wednesday, except for suppliers who bank with the embattled Ithala.
READ: School feeding scheme will dry up due to nonpayment – warns KZN suppliers
He says the lack of timely payments puts service providers in a financial bind - leaving them unable to provide food items to schools.
"Let us find an alternative solution of another system that will be specifically for this programme, and also go back to their old method that was used in the previous administration, whereby our service providers were paid at least three times a month.
"There was a run that was made on the 15th, 25th, [and] on the last day of the month. So it means that if we are not paid on the 15th, you are guaranteed you are going to be paid on the 25th or you are guaranteed you are going to be paid on the 30th," said Mncwabe.
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