Cape Town and surrounding areas in the Western Cape are set to lose a total of 1,674 teaching positions in January due to a severe budget shortfall of R3.8 billion. The Cape Winelands district will lose 299 teaching posts, while Eden and Central Karoo will see a reduction of 200 positions. Other districts affected include Overberg (117), West Coast (117), and various Metro districts with losses ranging from 309 to 462 positions each. The Western Cape Department of Education blames the National Treasury for the budget crisis and will not reappoint some contract teachers. Permanent teachers may be relocated to other schools with vacancies. Special needs schools will be exempt from these job cuts.
