WCED still considering Heathfield principal Labour Court ruling

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it had carefully considered the Labour Court’s ruling, which retrospectively reinstated the former principal of Heathfield High School.

On Monday, the court dismissed five of the six charges of misconduct against Wesley Neumann but upheld the charge of insolence, finding that Neumann’s letter to the Head of the Department was gratuitously offensive for a senior educator.

The department said its legal team was still considering whether to appeal the ruling.

On Monday, the Labour Court reinstated Neumann.

Neumann was dismissed in 2021 following a disciplinary inquiry that found him guilty of six charges of misconduct linked to his refusal to allow teachers and pupils to return to school during the height of COVID-19 infections.

His legal team has indicated that he is enthusiastic about reporting for duty on 1 February.

However, uncertainty remains concerning his future, as he is also a city councillor for the GOOD party