JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — A severe Gauteng school budget controversy has erupted after revelations that the provincial administration is channeling hundreds of millions of rands into luxury private office leases while simultaneously plunging hundreds of public schools into darkness. The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling the financial maneuvering a gross misallocation of resources, pointing to a staggering R230 million annual rental bill for just ten district offices while basic educational subsidies face drastic reductions.
Democratic Alliance Gauteng Education spokesperson Michael Waters brought the damning allegations to the legislature this week, painting a picture of a provincial government that prioritizes premium real estate for its officials over the fundamental safety and education of its youth.
The R230 Million Rental Disparity
At the heart of the backlash is the provincial government’s decision to lease ten district offices from private landlords at a cost exceeding R230 million annually. This exorbitant rental figure is further inflated by an additional R47 million municipal bill attached to these specific administrative buildings.
Waters argues that this spending is entirely unjustifiable, especially when juxtaposed with the fiscal strangulation of the province’s education system. Subsidies for 600 quintile 5 schools have been decimated, slashed by a massive 64%. According to the DA, the province is sitting on a portfolio of empty, abandoned government buildings that could easily house these district offices if they were properly renovated.
However, Waters claims that provincial officials actively resist moving into state-owned properties, preferring the comfort and prestige of private commercial leases. He is currently investigating the identities of the ten private landlords, probing whether any of the beneficiaries are politically connected to the ruling ANC or serve as financial donors to the party.
A Province Plunged into Darkness
The human cost of these Gauteng school budget cuts is already being felt in classrooms across the province. Last year, the financial responsibility for municipal utility accounts was devolved directly to individual schools. While the provincial government promised to provide adequate funding to cover these newly devolved costs, Waters notes that the promise has been broken.
Following the start of the new financial year on April 1, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) failed to pay the first tranche of the allocated municipal budgets in full. Combined with the 64% subsidy slash, the result has been catastrophic:
- Mass Disconnections: In 2026 alone, 251 public schools have had their municipal electricity supplies cut off.
- Lost Instructional Time: These power outages have resulted in an estimated 8,925 lost learning days across the province.
- Resource Depletion: Without power or adequate funding, schools are failing to procure basic learning materials or support their teaching staff.
Legislative Stonewalling and Demands for Accountability
Attempts to force transparency regarding the office leases have been met with bureaucratic stonewalling. Waters reports that Infrastructure Development MEC Jacob Mamabolo has repeatedly dodged parliamentary questions regarding the utilization of vacant state buildings. Instead of providing answers, Mamabolo has reportedly deferred to an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Premier’s office.
Refusing to accept what he views as inadequate and evasive written replies, Waters has formally escalated the matter. He has written to the Speaker of the Gauteng Legislature, demanding that Mamabolo be compelled to answer the questions orally on the legislative floor to fulfill his constitutional oversight obligations.
Meanwhile, Education MEC Lebogang Maile is scheduled to address the media and stakeholders regarding the province’s educational direction and infrastructure backlogs on Monday.
A Looming Structural Safety Crisis
Beyond the financial mismanagement, the physical deterioration of Gauteng’s educational infrastructure presents an immediate danger to learners and staff. By law, the Department of Infrastructure Development is mandated to conduct structural safety inspections on all government-owned buildings at least once every five years.
Yet, Waters revealed a shocking compliance failure: out of the province’s 2,400 public schools, a mere 37 have undergone the legally required structural inspections over the last half-decade.
This systemic negligence has left several high-profile campuses in a state of disrepair:
- Johannesburg Arts High School: A massive dance studio and its underlying administrative offices have been cordoned off and abandoned for nearly two years due to structural instability.
- Norm Park High School (Kempton Park): A pedestrian bridge connecting two campus buildings has been closed for over two years and appears to be on the verge of total collapse.
Waters warned that the departments of Education and Infrastructure Development are sitting on a legal and humanitarian time bomb. He referenced a tragic incident from last year in Pretoria, where a collapsing school wall fell on a learner, resulting in a fatality. Without urgent intervention and a reprioritization of funds from private rentals to structural repairs, the DA warns that similar tragedies and massive legal liabilities are inevitable.
