The ANC Western Cape Provincial Legislature Caucus has accused the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) of undermining parliamentary oversight with claims that it failed to submit key presentations ahead of a scheduled committee meeting which has been disputed by the department.
Leader of the Opposition Khalid Sayed said the department did not provide documentation at least three days before the meeting of the Standing Committee on Education, as required by parliamentary rules.
The committee was due to receive presentations on admissions for the 2026 academic year, school readiness for 2026, and the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results, including the Western Cape pass rate.
According to the ANC caucus, no documentation had been provided to Members of the Provincial Legislature ahead of the meeting.
“This failure undermines Members’ ability to prepare for the meeting and to exercise effective oversight,” Sayed said.
“Parliamentary oversight is a constitutional obligation, not a courtesy, and departments are required to cooperate fully with the legislature to ensure transparency and accountability.”
The caucus described the alleged failure as a disregard for parliamentary processes and said withholding critical information erodes the authority of the committee and weakens democratic governance within the Western Cape Provincial Legislature.
However, WCED director of communications, Bronagh Hammond said the presentations were submitted to the Standing Committee shortly after 1pm the previous day and had been made available to the committee that afternoon.
Hammond said the department ensured that the 2026 admissions presentation reflected the most up-to-date, verified data available. The final verified admissions data was presented to the provincial minister on Friday and, following approval, was incorporated into the updated presentation before submission to the committee.
She said submitting outdated data would not have reflected the true state of admissions in the province or supported effective oversight. According to the department, its intention was to strengthen oversight by providing complete, accurate and verified information.
Meanwhile, the WCED said it has made significant inroads in addressing learner placements despite a surge in extremely late applications. The figures reflect verified data as of February 11, 2026.
The department received over 26 000 extremely late applications in Grade R. 1 and 8 alone since 1 January, with over 2500 applications received between February 2 and February 11, 2026.
Despite the volume of late and new applications, over 26 000 learners since the beginning of the year, reducing the numbers in progress of placement to 272 Grade 1s , 322 Grade 8s and 1089 Grade Rs, as of February 11.
Cape Argus
Murray Swart
iol.co.za