The Ayanda Junior Academy hailed as the first private junior academy in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, is operating illegally and has failed to acquire a certificate of occupation. This was confirmed by provincial education department spokesperson Steve Mabona and City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Themba Gumede.

“As it stands the school does not have a certificate of occupation, however, we will check how far they are in the process,” Gumede said on Wednesday.

He further stated that the building plans were approved by the City of Ekurhuleni, but that there are outstanding processes that need to take place before the occupancy certificate can be processed.

"The client is aware of all outstanding compliant processes. The City if Ekurhuleni welcomes historic milestone in the form of this first black private school in our region and we are willing to expedite the process subsequent to compliance with all outstanding matters," said Gumede. 

The academy's CEO, Maragaret Tyobo, made headlines and trended on social media last week for being the head of the R5m private school in the township. The academy boasts amenities such as a swimming pool, a library and a computer lab. Currently, 248 pupils are enrolled with the academy and parents pay R1,450 for grade R fees and R1,750 for grades 1 and 2 per month.

SowetanLive was unable to reach Tyobo for comment at the time of publishing.