Western Cape has more proper schools than rest of the country – minister

The Western Cape is the only province in SA without any schools in poor condition, while the Eastern Cape leads with the highest number of schools in poor or very poor condition – 1,090 in total.

This is according to minister of basic education Siviwe Gwarube, who said 10% of schools in SA are in poor or very poor condition and most of them are in the Eastern Cape.

Gwarube said this while briefing parliament on Tuesday.

SA has 22,529 public schools. Of this, 390 are in very poor condition while 1,850 are in poor condition, Gwarube said.

She added that the department is still faced with schools that lack proper classrooms, electricity, water and functional toilets.

She said the Eastern Cape has 1,090 schools in poor or very poor conditions while Mpumalanga and Northern Cape have high percentages of poor and fair schools, which she said indicated pressing infrastructure needs.

KwaZulu-Natal's 5,790 schools, the highest number in the country, are mostly in good condition.

However, while infrastructure needs were growing, the provincial budget allocations remained stagnant or had been reprioritised to address other priorities, said Gwarube. This has resulted in the slow pace of school infrastructure delivery, she said.

Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have some of the highest infrastructure needs, given the high number of schools requiring replacement or upgrades.

“Based on the condition data provided, it is clear that maintenance remains a top priority if we are to ensure that more schools are in good working condition, particularly in provinces with higher concentrations of schools in poor condition, she said.

Gwarube also pointed out that Gauteng and Western Cape spend a significant portion of their budgets on expanding school capacity due to increasing pupil populations.

However, she said, provinces that underspend on allocated budgets risk funding reductions in subsequent years, leading to further backlogs.

Budget cuts at the national level have affected infrastructure allocations, leading to project delays, she said. “Slow procurement processes and inefficiencies in project implementation often result in unspent funds, despite urgent infrastructure needs.”

In addition, vandalism and theft of school infrastructure have increased costs, requiring additional security measures and maintenance. Budgetary constraints were not only a challenge for the basic education sector but for the entire country, Gwarube said.

She said while SA was facing significant fiscal pressures, any proposals to increase  VAT to address these constraints would have devastating consequences for millions of South Africans.

“ This cannot be the answer. Instead, we must find alternative, sustainable solutions to balance the national budget without further burdening those who can least afford it,” she said.  

In a question-and-answer response in February, Gwarube said the department planned to build 40 schools in the 2024/2025 financial year. 

Eleven schools were to be built in the Eastern Cape, six in the Free State, three in Gauteng, two KwaZulu-Natal.

The department would also build two in Limpopo, two in Mpumalanga, and another two in Northern Cape. There would be eight in the North West and four in the Western Cape. “A total of 1,461 schools are scheduled for repairs and renovations in the 2024/25 financial year,” she said.

SowetanLIVE