“I Expected More”: SA Stunned Seeing KZN School Departmental Head's Salary Shown by Content Creator

• Popular TikTok content creator Boni from Lifereset with Boni shared with South Africans what a school Departmental Head earned
• The anonymous professional worked in KwaZulu-Natal and stated that he had five years of experience in the field
• The Departmental Head's salary left many social media users in shock as they thought he would have earned more

It is often thought that government workers with high positions earn salaries that would have some South Africans green with envy. However, the greens a local Departmental Head earned every month left many online users scratching their heads in confusion.

A look at a Departmental Head's salary

Boni from the TikTok account Lifereset with Boni (who is known to show payslips from different occupations) shared with social media users what a KwaZulu-Natal Departmental Head with five years of experience looked forward to at the end of every month.

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While she mentioned the job title Head of Department (HoD) in the clip, Boni clarified in another video that it was a Departmental Head.

Below is a breakdown of their payslip:

• Basic salary: R35 372
• Homeowner allowance: R1 784
• Gross salary: R37 156
• Deductions: R12 729
• Net pay: R24 427

Boni asked app users:

"Why did I think I was going to see a gross of R40 000 to R45 000?"

Watch the salary breakdown in the TikTok video below:

Job description of a Departmental Head

According to the Western Cape Education Department, a Departmental Head has to do the following:

• Engage in class teaching.
• Take responsibility for the effective functioning of the department.
• Organise relevant and related extra-curricular activities to ensure the subjects and education of the learners are promoted in a proper manner.

The provincial education department further explains that the duties and responsibilities vary and depends on the approaches and needs of the school.

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Departmental Head's salary shocks Mzansi

Several social media users who entered the post's comment section were surprised to see about much the person earned and expressed their thoughts to Boni and other app users.

@thulanegibson, who was surprised to see what the professional took home, wrote:

"I expected more."

A saddened @tarranking3 noted to the online community:

"Our Departmental Head's salary is not worth the work we have to do."

@user62885454834228 shared their opinion in the comment section, writing:

"This is far less than an operational manager or coordinator in nursing."

@whela95 said to the public:

"I would never. That’s just petrol money for meetings and workshops. Not worth the stress."

@ntumelolindelanimkhize shared their experience with the public:

"I've been a Departmental Head for one year with nine years of experience, and I earn more or less what is posted here."

@steffangovender commented their thoughts under the post:

"Departmental Heads can even earn more than principals. You should get a pay slip from a Departmental Head who has over 35 years of experience. You'll die with chest pains."

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After hearing the deductions, @beautifull_hope remarked:

"SARS has to be taken down. It's killing the people."

3 Other stories about educators' salaries

• In another article, Briefly News reported that Boni showed a Western Cape educator's salary, which left many South Africans outraged.
• A frustrated teacher opened up about his struggles to make ends meet after receiving his pay at the end of each month.
• A post showcasing a private school teacher earning R100 000 monthly sparked a widespread debate about the disparities between private and government school educators in South Africa.

Source: Briefly News