WATCH: School placements leave many in limbo
“They mustn’t come with words, we want school placements, now!”
Frustrated parents gathered outside the GDE Ekurhuleni North District offices on Howard Avenue on January 28, only to find the offices closed due to a city-wide power outage during the early hours of January 24.
“This is absolute rubbish,” shouted Bongani Hadebe as security personnel at the office informed the crowd to return another day.
“I have been from pillar to post since January 14. I submitted my daughter’s Grade Eight application and the supporting documents via the department’s online portal last year, yet she is at home while her peers are attending school.
“I have to travel from Thembisa only to have GDE officials tell me I need to visit the school within our feeding area. When I got there, they told me that their hands were tied and I needed to go to the Ekurhuleni North District offices.
“No one is assisting us. What happened to my child’s right to education?”
Neo Mohapi of Norkem Park echoed this concern, saying that her Grade 10 son was at home because there is no space for him at the school across the street from their home.
“This office has supplied us with countless telephone numbers to contact to review our applications. Our calls go unanswered, and on-site officials are unwilling to assist,” she said.
“My child has been unable to attend school since March last year, when he moved here from Mpumalanga. He is currently 43rd on the school’s waiting list.
“We were told that the GDE was going to augment schools’ capacity by 10% to accommodate learners. What happened to that mandate?”
Venting their frustrations, the disgruntled parents said that they are continuously instructed to return to the local offices, further stretching their limited finances.
@benonicitytimes Parents from as far as Thembisa express their frustration at the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) Ekurhuleni North District office’s lack of assistance with 2026 school admissions. The group sang and chanted outside the offices in Howard Avenue, Benoni. @educationgp
“We have to travel from Edenvale, Kempton Park, and Thembisa just to be sent away again,” said one mother.
“We also work. Our employers aren’t always understanding when we need more time off. The department is not only jeopardising our children’s future but also putting our jobs at risk.”
Waving his documentation in the air, Hadebe demanded that Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, and Education MEC Matome Chiloane meet with the affected parents at the offices to offer an immediate solution.
“They need to come here, see how these officials are treating members of the voting public,” he said.
“We need them to explain to our children, who are eager to learn, why they cannot attend school.
“It is unacceptable. Their system is flawed; now they must fix it. We are not interested in their politics, we demand action!”
A request for comment has been sent to the GDE spokesperson, Steve Mabona; none was received at the time of publication.
Meanwhile, at the beginning of the 2026 academic year, a total of 4 858 grades one and eight learners were yet to be placed at schools across Gauteng.
This represents approximately 1.5% of applications received by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE).
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