Overview
- Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile, speaking Sunday at Lyndhurst Primary School, announced a review of the decentralised system that put school governing bodies in charge of paying municipal bills.
- As of the end of March, schools owed R583.9 million to municipalities, with Johannesburg at R390.7 million, Ekurhuleni at R75.14 million, Tshwane at R51.7 million and a separate R6.32 million owed to Eskom.
- A Pretoria High Court order on 5 May forced Tshwane to restore electricity to schools cut off for nonpayment and barred further cut-offs, and it allows affected schools to seek compensation.
- The department pointed to historical arrears, alleged overcharging, weak bill-dispute processes and tariff hikes outpacing school allocations as causes of nonpayment that led to power and water cuts disrupting teaching, safety systems and feeding schemes.
- Maile said the province is working with municipalities to enforce the ruling, while the DA is pushing for a permanent intergovernmental committee to audit meters, fix billing errors and resolve debt.