While at least three schools in the Northern Cape remained closed at the start of the second term yesterday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) requests that the MECs for finance and education be urgently summoned to report to a joint committee of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature. We are seeing a repeat of the crisis that engulfed schools at the start of the 2025 academic year.
By the Northern Cape Department of Education’s own calculations, it owed school communities more than R181.8 million in February 2025. This included R100.702 million for school maintenance and just over R54 million for textbooks, stationery and similar materials. But despite promises made by both MEC Venus Blennies-Magage and Abraham Vosloo, at our last joint meeting in February, many schools are reportedly still waiting for the promised financial support.
Due to the ongoing non-payment of essential funds by Northern Cape Department of Education, some schools report a serious lack of basic necessities, like the school in Grootdrink experiencing a lack of toilet paper.
Although the department promised to pay R5 million to hostels, there is still a shortfall of more than R4.4 million and schools only received partial payments of their budgeted subsidies for the year. The underfunding means that schools cannot afford to buy food. The primary school hostel in Brandvlei has neither food nor water on the premises for the young children in their care. The hostel of the Rietfontein High School near Upington did not reopen, creating immense stress for the parents and caregivers who cannot afford to make suitable alternative arrangements at such short notice.
Non-payment of municipal accounts continues to result in disconnections of electricity supply, reported by schools as far afield as Postmasburg, Calvinia, Victoria West, and Colesberg. The Blinkklip High School in Postmasburg remains closed as the school did not have electricity supply since January. We cannot afford to have learners sitting in the dark when the department promised R6.3 million to assist with municipal account bailouts.
In our written request, I’ve asked for an update on the department’s financial status, timelines for payments to schools, feedback on the functionality of hostels, and a report on the implementation of school feeding schemes. Both MECs must fulfil their promise to account to the Legislature.
Children deserve access to education and should not bear the brunt of bad financial judgement exercised by the provincial government.