The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng will write to the Chairperson of the Education Portfolio Committee, Moipone Mhlongo, requesting that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) MEC, Matome Chiloane, be urgently summoned before the Portfolio Committee to account for the failure to pay the City of Ekurhuleni to keep the lights on in schools. Learners are missing out on laboratory experiments and computer lessons because there is no electricity.
This was revealed in a letter from GDE to the City of Ekurhuleni, acknowledging that they owe electricity supplied to Section 20 public ordinary schools and attributing this to financial difficulties. The department has committed to initiating payments by the end of April 15 and continuing through June 2025.
See the full letter here.
It is unacceptable that the department has run out of money and cannot fulfil its basic obligations by keeping the lights on. It is also inexcusable that the department has failed to rectify this issue that has resulted in several schools across the Ekurhuleni having to close their doors and send children home after having their power cut off.
This is a betrayal of our learners as the government has failed to ensure a conducive learning environment in Gauteng schools.
While Premier Panyaza Lesufi wants us to believe that his government is committed to creating a high-quality public education system, his MEC of Education is allowing learning and teaching to be disrupted due to power cuts caused by the department’s failure to pay for electricity.
Given that South Africa comes last in international tests which measure numeracy and reading for meaning, it is imperative that children are in classrooms learning and not sitting idly at home. Serious questions need to be asked as to the financial management of the department and whether we have the right person at the helm.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would ensure that all schools utility bills are paid on time to ensure uninterrupted learning and teaching. This will ensure that municipalities have adequate money to pay their debtors such as Eskom and Rand Water.