THE KZN Department of Education has apologised for the delayed subsidy payments to special schools across the province, a delay that has seen the special schools like Khulangolwazi Special School and Ningizimu Special School in Montclair shut down in protest this week.

Also read: No support, no schooling: Khulangolwazi Special School closes its doors on empty promises

The department’s response:

In a statement the department  acknowledged the significant contribution made by special schools in helping learners with disabilities and apologised for the inconvenience and distress caused by the delayed release of funds.

The department indicated the delay was due to unforeseen technical glitches that affected the processing timeline of the payment.

“While the payment run was originally scheduled for October 16, it has been rescheduled to October 20. Affected schools are expected to receive their subsidies by October 23,” read the statement.

KZN MEC for Education Sipho Hlomuka said that they are committed towards supporting learners with special needs and ensuring the continuity of their learning.

“We value the dedication of special schools and their staff, and we appreciate their patience, understanding and co-operation as we work to resolve this,” said Hlomuka.

The department’s response follows increasing pressure from special schools across KZN, as schools have been pushed to breaking point, with no money, no support staff positions filled and most importantly no government intervention.

Mounting issues:

The school governing body (SGB) at Khulangolwazi Special School decided to close the school indefinitely as they cannot continue operating without support from the department.

“We have written letters, and we went to the MEC’s office in May. We requested for additional support staff and busses,  including busses that were taken in for repairs but never came back. We also requested for vacant positions in the schools to be filled, but they have yielded no results or response,” said Khulangolwazi Special School’s SGB chairperson Xolile Nyuswa.

The department has also not provided the school with its full allocation of funds for this year, which has made it difficult for the school to manage itself. According to The South African National Association for Special Education’s (Sanase) memorandum handed over to the premier’s office, for the 2025 financial year the department was assumed to pay special needs schools four tranches a year as opposed to the previous norm of one tranche per year.

“Special schools in KZN have all received a quarter of the annual allocation at the end of August 2025. With five schools of 77 receiving a second allocation in the first week of September 2025,” read the memorandum.

While the department’s statement has answered some questions, classrooms across KZN special schools still remain empty.

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