Desperate parents and guardians from various areas in Gauteng East, Ekurhuleni, flocked to the Department of Basic Education district office in Springs on January 13, urgently seeking school placements for their children in grades one and eight.

Springs Advertiser spoke to parents and a child about the circumstances that led them to visit the district office.

Zinhle Tshabalala (14), from Tsakani, is one of many children who did not receive placement at a high school for 2026.

She said her mother applied to two schools in Brakpan. One school indicated that the application was being processed, while the other stated that no documents were on record.

Tshabalala said her mother applied on the same day the online system opened. She added that her mother appealed, which reflected schools in Kwa-Thema, despite her living in Tsakani.

“I wanted to attend school in Brakpan or Springs because they have school competitions, which schools in Tsakani and Kwa-Thema do not have, and they would help me academically,” said Tshabalala.

She expressed that the uncertainty about her future has affected her, as she does not know which uniform or stationery to buy, while her friends have already been placed at their preferred schools.

Tshabalala said that if she is not accepted at one of the schools she applied to, she will attend a school in Tsakani for a year and then reapply to schools in Brakpan.

Three parents, Nkadimeng Thokoane, Lemohang Matlali and Panelope Nkosi, expressed their frustration with the online system and how it has failed them.

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Thokoane told the publication that she applied to three different high schools, but her child was placed at a school she did not apply to.

She said she rejected the offer, explaining that her child has ADHD and that she wanted her child to attend a school where participation in sports is encouraged.

“I came on December 5, and the line was long then as well. I was told to wait 21 days. The festive season started, I ran out of money, and I am depressed. My child is even more anxious about not getting placement,” said Thokoane.

She added that if all fails, she will take her child to a private school, but she is not giving up just yet.

Matlali, from Duduza, whose child will be starting Grade One, said she did not receive any communication from the education department. Instead, the system assigned a school to her, which she rejected before submitting an appeal.

She said her appeal was unsuccessful, and after reappealing, she came to the district office in December, where she was advised to return in January.

“It is a major setback because I spent the festive season anxious about my child’s future. I should have bought the school uniform and stationery by now. Other children have already started orientation and are placed in their classes,” said Matlali.

Matlali angrily expressed that the online system should be scrapped, saying that only a few people benefit, and every year, parents face the same problem of not securing school placements for their children.

Nkosi explained that she applied to five high schools in Springs, but her child was placed at a school in Daveyton.
She said she was surprised by the placement, as she used an address in Payneville.

“My child cannot attend school in Daveyton because no one lives there. Transport would be costly, and I work in Springs,” said Nkosi.

She said she wants the district to amend the placement and place her child at one of the schools in Springs.

On December 5, many parents visited the district office with similar concerns about school placements, pleading with the Gauteng Department of Education to remove the online system and return to the previous method of applying directly at schools.

In a statement released on January 6, the provincial department said that 247 learners in the Gauteng East district remain unplaced, including 85 in Grade One and 162 in Grade Eight.

The department said it continues to release placement and transfer offers daily, supported by targeted interventions in high-pressure districts, to ensure that all remaining learners are placed as efficiently and fairly as possible, in line with regulated admissions criteria and available school capacity.

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