The Democratic Alliance (DA) has made an urgent appeal to provincial government leaders, to immediately intervene in the deepening electricity disconnection crisis in Warrenton.
Schooling ground to a complete halt on Thursday after three local schools had their electricity cut. Outstanding debt owed by the three schools totals over R500 000. The schools, currently in the middle of critical quarterly assessments, were forced to close their doors. This caused severe disruption to academic programmes, particularly for matriculants, placing immense pressure on learners and teachers alike. For many of these schools, water supply depends on electrically powered boreholes. With the power cut, water provision was also interrupted, creating a double blow for the schools, and giving rise to serious health and sanitation risks.
The hospital’s power was also cut on the same day due to outstanding debt and had to run on a generator, compromising sustained health care and limiting care to emergency procedures.
The power supply to the hospital and Warrenton Combined school was restored later on Thursday after payment agreements were reached, but the Warrenton Primary and High School remain without power.
According to Magareng municipality, they issued 14-day notices to relevant departments via email. Before that, they also claim to have issued several notices from 03 February 2026.
Electricity disconnections to schools and hospitals constitute and infringement on learners’ constitutional rights to basic education and patients’ rights to health care, and cannot be allowed to continue.
The DA has supported the schools and engaged the municipality and relevant MECs in an attempt to urgently resolve this crisis. We also submitted a letter to the Municipal Manager, requesting that power be restored immediately and communication with creditors be significantly improved to prevent a repeat of this crisis.
Education and health care in Warrenton cannot be held hostage by financial and administrative incompetence.