Note to Editors: Attached please find a soundbite in English here and Afrikaans here by DA MPL Bronwynn Engelbrecht.
The budget for Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN) schools for the 2026/2027 financial year is R5.7 billion; however, it fails to provide them with the necessary support. A significant portion of this allocation goes toward salaries, leaving practical support underfunded. The department cannot claim to champion inclusion when special needs learners face severe shortages of assistive devices, specialised learning material, safe infrastructure, sensory rooms, therapy rooms, and proper vocational pathways.
For the department, this may be numbers on a balance sheet. For thousands of learners, it means the wheelchair ramp that was never built, the learner transport that never arrives, and the classroom where even the most dedicated teacher lacks the necessary resources to help learners unlock their full potential.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has rejected this budget and called on the department to conduct a comprehensive needs and performance analysis of all LSEN schools to ensure they are properly resourced and supported.
The department has failed to fund inclusion in the Gauteng province through this budget. Even more concerning is the reduction in Goods and Services for Public Special School Education, which decreases from R36.5 million to R33.5 million. This funding should provide specialised support services, including therapy and learning materials, which are still lacking in most LSEN schools.
Learners at Samson LSEN school are already feeling the impact. Out of the 514 learners aged 14 and above, fewer than 10% have access to any form of training. The situation is no better at Ezibeleni Special School, where teachers and staff are over-stretched, workshops are under-equipped, and wheelchairs are in short supply. At the Johannesburg School of Autism, there is a severe shortage of therapists and psychologists. The learners’ safety is being compromised, as they are forced to share space with 22 businesses operating in the same building.
Together, these examples point to a deeply under-resourced LSEN system where learners are denied access to basic training opportunities, essential equipment, specialist support services, and safe, appropriate learning environments.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government is dedicated to supporting learners with special needs. We will conduct a needs-priority audit of all LSEN schools to ensure they are properly resourced with therapists and specialists, mobile therapy teams for special and mainstream schools, assistive devices, specialised learning materials, and safe, accessible infrastructure to provide secure and adequately equipped learning environments.