Eastern Cape acting principal awarded R351,553 after exclusion from shortlist

An Eastern Cape teacher has been awarded R351,553.50 after an arbitration panel found she was unfairly excluded from a recruitment process for a principal post.

Who was involved

The dispute concerned Tantaswa Priscila Sikiti, who was represented by NAPTOSA, and the Eastern Cape Education Department. The position at issue was the principalship of Lujiza Primary School, which was filled by Thandiwe Litye in April 2026.

Background to the challenge

Sikiti, employed by the department since 1993, had served as deputy principal at Lujiza Primary School since 2023 and had acted as the school’s principal during the 2024 and 2025 academic years. She told the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) she met the advertised requirements, had held a management role at the school for more than 18 years and had acted as principal for more than 12 months. She said she had obtained additional qualifications, including Education Management from the University of Pretoria and a Certificate of Leadership from the University of Stellenbosch.

Selection process criticised

At the hearing ELRC panellist Yolisa Ndzuta found that Sikiti had discharged her duty to prove an unfair labour practice relating to promotion.

The evidence showed the selection panel had introduced additional sifting criteria not stated in the advertisement, including a requirement that candidates have five years’ experience as a principal or deputy principal. Department witnesses conceded those criteria were not in the job advertisement.

Members of the panel and a school governing body witness acknowledged errors in applying the new criteria. One witness conceded that Sikiti’s application should have been analysed more carefully and that Litye’s principal experience had been incorrectly calculated. A panel secretary accepted a calculation error had been made and that, if the criteria had been correctly applied, Litye would also have been sifted out. A third witness described the panel’s additional requirement as irrational because it was not contained in the bulletin.

Department’s defence and ELRC finding

The department argued that meeting the advertised minimum requirements did not give Sikiti an automatic right to be shortlisted and that the school governing body could adopt criteria to determine which qualifying candidates would be interviewed. The department also disputed that acting periods could be combined for shortlisting under the Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM).

Ndzuta found Sikiti had been excluded not for failing the advertised requirements but because extra experience criteria were introduced at the sifting stage and applied improperly and prejudicially against her. The panel noted that the department could not rely on its administrative failures or non-compliance to avoid accountability where recruitment was governed by PAM, its Recruitment and Selection Policy and collective agreements.

Remedy and payment

Although Sikiti sought compensation equal to 12 months’ pay, the panellist awarded her six months’ compensation as

“just and equitable”

. The ELRC ordered the Education Department to pay R351,553.50, calculated at six months of the entry notch of the principal post, which was R58,592.25 per month. The department was given three months from the date of the award to make the payment. The ELRC said the remedy was intended to avoid disrupting the school’s operations and the education of learners.