The recent closure of Damelin College in East London has left its employees, from lecturers and administrators down to the cleaners, unpaid and unemployed. The Department of Employment and Labour conducted an investigation of the college that found issues of unpaid salaries and severance pay, and a failure to issue UI19 forms to retrenched staff for claiming from UIF.

According to the department’s provincial spokesperson, Ziphozihle Josefu, Damelin was ordered on 17 September 2024 to pay eight outstanding salaries for August and the severance pay for all eleven employees, amounting to R179,155 to be paid by 1 October 2024. Three employees were paid their August salaries. She said the letters issued to these employees referred to “mutual separation” instead of termination based on operational requirements or retrenchment.

A lecturer, Irshaad Gangat-Duvenage said they have not received any response from the college regarding payments. “We keep asking HR about August monies and severance pay but they are avoiding us. Only three people were paid August salary, the rest of us got nothing,” Gangat-Duvenage said. He said the non-payment of salaries has left them unable to pay bills.

He confirmed that they had a meeting with an inspection officer from the labour department but have not received any feedback. They have meanwhile approached the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).

Another employee Ncebakazi Falani, who worked as a librarian, said her contract was terminated in August without notice. To receive her salary, she had to threaten to involve the Department of Higher Education. “I only received my August salary on Tuesday after I had sent an email to the Department of Higher Education and copied HR and COO, explaining how they were given a directive by CCMA to pay our salaries. I sent the email in the morning, the department responded and around 14:31 I received my salary which was short, because I have not been paid for severance,” she said.

Falani said that both the labour department and the CCMA reported failures to reach Dameline’s HR office. “This company has made lives of staff members and students so miserable and they have sent us from pillar to post each time. I received all my salaries late and I have had to fight all the time. I know they do not want to honour the contract – meaning pay me for the remainder of the months. What do they think I am supposed to do?” asked Falani.

Attempts to reach Damelin’s head of human resources received no response. Questions to Damelin’s owners, Educor, on reasons for the closure of its East London campus, have not been responded to. The institutions in the Educor group – City Varsity, Icesa City Campus and Lyceum College included – were recently granted reprieve when the Department of Higher Education reinstated their licenses for the sake of the students.