Learners’ education is under threat as the City of Ekurhuleni intends to cut electricity supply to 189 schools due to the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) failure to settle outstanding electricity bills.
This is completely unacceptable. Learners have already been out of the classrooms for the past two weeks due to a learner transport strike caused by non-payment by the GDE. Now, instead of urgently restoring stability to schooling, the department’s financial oversight risks plunging classrooms into darkness.
Schools cannot function without electricity. Teaching, security systems, administration, digital learning, and basic safety all depend on a reliable power supply. When schools are disconnected, learning and teaching are disrupted.
However, this is not a sudden crisis. Records show that as far as August 2024, the GDE was already in arrears to the City of Ekurhuleni by more than R24 million. Moreover, the non-payment of municipal bills affected over 500 schools across Gauteng in 2025, with many facing threats of water and electricity disconnection.
Therefore, the current threat to disconnect nearly 200 schools is expected and a predictable result of sustained non-payment and financial mismanagement.
One must ask: where is the money going?
Schools are increasingly being forced to carry costs that should be managed by the department, diverting money away from textbooks, teachers, and learning support to keep the lights on.
The government cannot let transport disruptions keep children out of school and then allow financial mismanagement to undermine learning when they return. The cumulative impact on teaching time and academic performance will be severe for learners.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng urges the department to urgently settle outstanding municipal accounts and halt any disconnection to schools.
Indeed, this can be done! A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would ensure that service providers are paid on time to prevent disruptions to teaching and learning.