“We Need a Raise”: SA Teacher Slams Claim to Cut Teacher Salaries in Half in Video, Mzansi Reacts

• A South African teacher reacted with outrage after a headline calling for teacher salaries to be halved went viral on 16 August 2026
• The teacher listed the heavy workload teachers carry, from managing large classes to excessive admin, questioning when promised relief would come
• Fellow educators and parents flooded the comments to back the teacher, with many arguing salaries should be raised, not cut

A South African teacher, posting under the handle @riaandr21, went viral on 16 August 2026 after reacting to a news headline claiming that teacher salaries should be reduced by 50%. The clip spread rapidly, striking a nerve with educators and parents alike.

In the video, the teacher pushed back hard against the proposal. Managing classes of between 30 and 60 learners, navigating learner protection legislation, and drowning in administrative tasks were all raised as reasons why cutting teacher pay would be deeply unjust. The teacher also called out a minister who had previously promised to reduce the admin burden on teachers, asking pointedly when that promise would ever come through.

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One of the sharpest moments in the clip came when the teacher pointed out that parents struggle to manage their own children during the school holidays, and that they beg for schools to reopen. The message was clear: if parents cannot handle their kids for a few weeks, the idea of slashing the salaries of those who do it every single day makes no sense.

Watch the Instagram video below:

Teachers say they deserve a raise, not a cut

The comment section on his page filled quickly with educators sharing their own frustrations.

@mercy_j_ wrote:

"Do they even know how little we earn as teachers in SA??"

@nicolajwiles2 said:

"Definitely hasn't spent time being a teacher or in a classroom. I am busy setting a test and it is Sunday!!!!"

@_itsmeehusne_ added:

"We need a raise!!!!"

@gerryh32 wrote:

"Some teachers' salaries aren't even enough to get through month to month. The government must keep it up; eventually our country won't have teachers left. If anything, teachers should be promoted with better salaries because of how much effort we put in to bring out the best in the children of today."

@wingwoman_amelia asked: "So... We are expected to work 60 hours a week on R10k or less?"

@tallking10 said:

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"The salaries need to be tripled instead... teachers are VERY important to be ridiculed like this!!!"

More Briefly News stories on salaries

• A South African belt splicer’s salary caught Mzansi’s attention, with the figures prompting mixed reactions and discussion online.
• A Cape Town woman’s R15,000 monthly budget left South Africans stunned, with many questioning how she manages her expenses on that salary.
• A South African content creator broke down the perks and non-salary benefits available to Cabinet ministers and MPs, leaving Mzansi divided over the privileges that come with their positions.

Source: Briefly News