R104m school debt: Tshwane’s power and water cut to Basic Education headquarters moemish

The City of Tshwane has been ordered to restore electricity and water to the national Department of Basic Education’s head office in Pretoria by Friday morning, after it emerged the department’s own account was not in arrears – despite the city citing an unpaid municipal debt of more than R104 million owed by 200 public schools.

Reconnection ordered, but restoration still pending

Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya has directed that all services to the DBE head office on Struben Street be restored on Friday morning, following a day of escalating pressure from the national department and its minister.

It remains unclear at the time of writing whether the reconnection has taken place.

The disconnection, which cut electricity and water to the department on Thursday morning, was later admitted by the City Manager to have been made in error.

The city’s intention had been to target district offices linked to the indebted schools, not the national department’s head office.

#TshwaneYaTima:
We’ve disconnected electricity and water at the Department of Basic Education Head Office located on Struben Street.

The city has disconnected services due to a combined debt of over R104 million that is owed by 200 schools. @CityTshwane pic.twitter.com/5kBfZtRCgf

– Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) June 25, 2026

Gwarube said the admission confirmed what the department had argued all along.

“I can confirm that the national Department of Basic Education’s account with the City of Tshwane is not owing a single cent,” she said. “There was no legal basis for the disconnection.”

City pulls the plug over R104m school debt

Moya confirmed the disconnection on Thursday morning, saying the city had reached a breaking point over unpaid municipal accounts.

“Today’s disconnection was born out of frustration and desperation following the continued escalation of unpaid municipal debt owed by public schools within Tshwane,” she said.

The city cited a combined debt of over R104 million owed by approximately 200 public schools within the metro.

Moya acknowledged that a High Court judgment prohibits the direct disconnection of schools, but argued the ruling had left municipalities with very limited mechanisms to recover what they were owed.

Despite extensive engagements with relevant authorities since the court ruling, she said the debt had continued to grow.

DBE fires back, says the debt is not theirs to pay

The DBE responded swiftly, arguing that its municipal account was in good standing and carried a credit balance, making the disconnection unlawful.

Gwarube was unequivocal in her response.

“Whatever dispute the City of Tshwane may have with the relevant provincial authorities, it cannot be right to disconnect services to the national Department of Basic Education when the department’s own account is in good standing,” she said.

Gwarube made clear that the debt belonged to public schools falling under the Gauteng Department of Education, not the national department.

“The DBE does not run schools. This is the function of the provinces. The city knew that this was not our debt. But disconnected us anyway,” she said.

The department said it had attempted to alert the city to this distinction before the disconnection, but the city proceeded regardless.

Generators running as public funds drain away

While the dispute played out, the DBE kept its operations going through backup generators and reserve water supply.

However, the department warned that running generators alone costs tens of thousands of rands for every full day electricity remains off.

Gwarube said the financial toll was unacceptable.

“This has financial implications for the department when it should be spending all its resources on our learners and the education system,” she said.

The department briefed the Office of the State Attorney and said it was preparing legal steps should services not be restored urgently.

The Director-General and Chief Financial Officer engaged directly with the City Manager, while Gwarube contacted the Executive Mayor personally to resolve the matter.

Mayor vows to pursue school debt through lawful means

While ordering the reconnection, Moya maintained that the broader issue of unpaid school debt remained unresolved and that someone in the education system needed to take accountability.

“While the administration of public schools rests with provincial education departments, the national Department of Basic Education cannot simply absolve itself of responsibility,” she said.

Moya said she had instructed the city’s administration to urgently explore all lawful avenues to compel the relevant education authorities to settle the outstanding debt.

“The City of Tshwane cannot continue providing municipal services indefinitely without payment,” she said.