A teacher in Peddie has won a promotion dispute after the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) found that he was unfairly overlooked despite scoring the highest marks during interviews.
Thembani Ngqele, who was seeking the Departmental Head-English position at Fezeka Primary School in Peddie, scored 92 points, while Yamkelani Peacock scored 80 and was ultimately appointed.
The dispute followed evidence that the school principal had opposed the appointment of internal candidates and pushed for Peacock’s appointment despite Ngqele achieving the highest interview score.
The ELRC found that the appointment process was procedurally and substantively unfair, ruling that the department had acted in a “biased, unfair, capricious and unjust manner”.
The department has been ordered to reverse Peacock’s appointment and promote Ngqele to the position with effect from September 1, 2026.
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