Central SA
Close to 30,000 Free State teachers’ medical aid not paid─── ZENANDE MPAME 10:31 Tue, 18 Mar 2025
The Free State Department of Education has promised to make payments to Government Employees Medical Scheme (Gems) before the end of this month.
The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) states that the Free State Department of Education has failed to pay medical aid contributions, depriving between 20,000 and 30,000 teachers in the Free State of access to healthcare.
These Gems members will lose their membership by the end of April if the amount in arrears is not paid.
Naptosa said the department has been deducting the contributions from employees, but the contributions have not been paid to Gems. The medical scheme gave the department a chance to comply by Monday (10/3), but the deadline was not met.
Their disappointment in the Free State Department of Education can hardly be expressed in words, said Naptosa Executive Director Basil Manuel. “In our discussion with Gems and various other stakeholders, the department appears to have promised to make payment before the end of this month.”
“However this is not good enough because it should’ve never been in arrears, it is a violation of the LRA, and a violation of the trust of our people because it increases mental anguish and the like.”
We will be tracking this to see that it is done and we have also asked the Department of Labour why this was allowed to happen in the first place. At the moment we know that this money must be paid before the second lapses otherwise the members will lose membership to Gems, he said.
‘Naptosa demanded urgent intervention by premier’
The teachers union, Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie (SAOU), demanded accountability from the education department and should other unions decide on legal action to rectify the situation, the union will support them.
Naptosa demanded urgent intervention from the Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae and the national treasury. “We reached out to the province, as well as to Gems, to try and get a clear understanding of whether it is the entire province and the entire public service in the province whose medical aid hasn’t been paid,” said Manuel.
“We asked Gems to give us verification of the payment or non-payment. And we’ve had a response giving us the detail that the money is on its way but that’s not good enough. There’s a lot of anxiety among our members but we hope that this will get sorted out in the shortest possible while,” he said.
An inquiry was sent to the department, and no response has been received.
