12 June 2025
The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) formally expresses its full support and solidarity with its affiliate, the National Teachers Union (NATU), in their principled and timely campaign against the harmful budget cuts affecting South Africa’s public education system.
NATU has consistently raised the alarm over the deteriorating conditions in many of the country’s schools, particularly in rural and working-class communities. These include overcrowded classrooms, collapsing infrastructure, chronic staff shortages, and the lack of adequate learning and teaching resources. FEDUSA acknowledges and endorses NATU’s urgent call for government to take immediate and concrete steps to reverse this decline and to safeguard the constitutional right to quality, equitable education for all learners.
While the recent Budget 3.0 speech by Minister Enoch Godongwana claims not to constitute an austerity framework, the proposed restrictions on public expenditure clearly indicate otherwise. The implications for the education sector are grave. FEDUSA reiterates its long-standing opposition to austerity measures, particularly those that erode critical public services such as education. These budgetary cuts not only undermine learner outcomes and educator wellbeing but also deepen existing inequalities within the education system, with rural schools bearing the brunt of the impact.
As NATU has highlighted, these budget cuts are occurring in a context where allocated resources are often misused or mismanaged at the school and district levels, compounding the crisis. FEDUSA supports NATU’s call for accountability and transparency in the use of public funds, and joins the call for decisive action to ensure that every cent earmarked for education reaches its intended purpose.
In line with its own submissions and public position on the national budget, FEDUSA remains steadfast in its rejection of fiscal consolidation policies that diminish the state’s capacity to deliver quality public services. Education is not a negotiable expenditure item, it is a strategic investment in the nation’s future.
FEDUSA therefore calls on government to engage meaningfully with NATU and other key stakeholders in the education sector to develop a responsive, adequately funded, and properly monitored plan to address the systemic challenges facing our schools. The federation stands firmly alongside NATU in defence of public education and in support of the educators who serve on the frontlines of this essential national duty.
END.