Hundreds of Gauteng schools have faced crippling electricity and water cuts in the first half of 2025 due to millions in unpaid municipal bills, leaving thousands of learners in the dark and raising urgent questions about the province’s education funding model.
Crisis in the Classroom
A damning report from the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) reveals that 536 schools suffered disconnections this year, with 293 going without power for at least 30 days, while another 250 endured outages lasting between 7 and 18 days. Shockingly, 16 schools had water, electricity, waste, and sewage services cut simultaneously, severely disrupting teaching and learning.
The crisis was exposed in a written response by Education MEC Matome Chiloane to questions from DA Shadow MEC for Education Sergio Dos Santos, who accused the department of financial mismanagement. Many affected schools are no-fee institutions, sparking debate over whether they should bear the burden of municipal payments.
Historical Debt Handed to Schools
Dos Santos revealed that some schools inherited massive historical debts from the GDE when responsibility for municipal accounts was transferred to them on April 1, 2025.
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Ernest W. Hobbs Primary School in Eldorado Park took over a R4.7 million debt.
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Another Primary School owes R3.8 million.
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W. H. Coetzer Primary in Johannesburg South had water cut for months over a R1 million arrears.
“The department failed to settle debts before shifting the burden to schools,” Dos Santos said. “Now, principals are forced to divert funds from textbooks and infrastructure to keep lights on.”
Broken Promises
Despite MEC Chiloane’s June pledge that “no school would be disconnected,” multiple institutions faced cuts days later. Centurion Secondary School was abruptly disconnected in May, with staff unaware they were now liable for bills.
Dos Santos criticized the GDE’s inconsistent record-keeping, noting discrepancies in reported disconnection figures and questioning whether outage durations were underreported.
Call for Intervention
The DA demands the GDE clear all historical debts and take back payment responsibilities for essential services. “You can’t expect a school with a R4.7 million debt to function,” Dos Santos argued.
As the crisis deepens, learners, teachers, and parents await urgent intervention—while Gauteng’s education system remains in the dark.
