Labour Court says councillor won’t face financial hardship, blocks reinstatement as school principal for now

Former Heathfield High School principal Wesley Puleng Neumann has failed in his attempt to secure immediate reinstatement while the Western Cape education department (WCED) pursues an appeal against a recent Labour Court ruling. Neumann, currently a part-time Good party councillor in the City of Cape Town, was dismissed in June 2020. This followed allegations that he declined to reopen the school to staff and Grade 12 pupila despite government instructions during the Covid pandemic.

After his dismissal, Neumann challenged the outcome at the Education Labour Relations Council, but lost in June 2023. He subsequently took the matter to the Labour Court, which in January 2026 overturned the arbitration ruling. The court found that dismissal was not an appropriate sanction, clearing him of most of the misconduct charges, but confirming the insolence finding.

As a result, the Labour Court ordered that Neumann be issued with a final written warning and return to his post with back pay on 2 February. However, the WCED filed an application for leave to appeal on 23 January – automatically suspending the implementation of the reinstatement order. Undeterred, Neumann approached the Labour Court again in an attempt to enforce the order pending the appeal outcome. During proceedings on 13 February, Neumann argued that the department’s decision to appeal was an effort to block his return to his post.