South Africa may have made progress in improving electricity availability, but hundreds of public schools experienced prolonged or complete power interruptions over the past two years, highlighting the challenges that remain within the country’s electricity system.
A total of 397 public schools were affected between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2026, according to Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, with reported causes including damaged infrastructure, transformer failures, vandalism, electricity supply disruptions and billing disputes.
The figures were revealed in a written parliamentary reply to EFF Member of Parliament Laetitia Arries, who asked Gwarube how many schools had been affected by prolonged or complete electricity outages and what interventions had been implemented to ensure reliable power supply.
Arries said several schools across the country had operated without electricity for extended periods over the past two years, with some functioning without power entirely for prolonged periods.
Gwarube said the figures were based on information submitted by provincial education departments, which reported that 397 public schools had experienced prolonged or complete interruptions to their electricity supply during the reporting period.
Eastern Cape accounts for majority of affected schools
The Eastern Cape accounted for 324 of the 397 affected schools, meaning more than eight out of every 10 reported cases nationally came from the province.
Gauteng recorded 19 affected schools, followed by the Free State and Mpumalanga with 13 each, KwaZulu-Natal with 12, while Limpopo, the Northern Cape and Western Cape each recorded five affected schools. North West recorded one.
Gwarube cautioned that the figure should not be interpreted as the number of schools that remained without electricity.
“The figure refers to specific schools reported by Provincial Education Departments as having been affected during the reporting period, and not to separate outage incidents.
”The nature and duration of the interruptions differed across schools and provinces, and some Provincial Education Departments indicated that outages were intermittent,” she said.
“The figure should therefore not be interpreted as the number of schools that remained without electricity as at the date of this reply.”
Outages linked to infrastructure failures and supply challenge
The figures come as government says South Africa has made progress in stabilising electricity supply following years of rolling blackouts, while the focus has shifted towards strengthening the reliability of the wider electricity system.
During his 2026 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said government had “brought an end to loadshedding” and that the country had built a more resilient electricity system.
“Having put loadshedding behind us, we must now transform our energy system to ensure long-term energy security,” Ramaphosa said.
However, government has acknowledged that improvements in electricity generation do not automatically resolve challenges within local electricity networks.
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has previously highlighted challenges affecting electricity distribution systems, including infrastructure pressure, vandalism and illegal connections, saying some electricity interruptions are linked to network challenges rather than a shortage of generation capacity.
“It is not a generation problem. It is a localised network protection measure,” he said.
Gwarube’s parliamentary reply reflects similar challenges at school level, with provincial education departments reporting that electricity interruptions were caused by electrical infrastructure failures, damaged transformers, electricity supply interruptions, vandalism and theft, account-related disputes and schools sharing transformers with surrounding communities.
The minister said the reported cases were not all linked to schools lacking electrical infrastructure.
“The reported cases do not all arise from an absence of school electrical infrastructure. In several cases, schools had an established electricity connection but experienced interruptions arising from failures or disputes within the external electricity supply system,” Gwarube said.
Under the Regulations Relating to Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure, every public school must have an appropriate form of electricity supply that complies with applicable laws and is sufficient for the school’s needs.
The permitted forms of supply include grid electricity, generators, solar power and wind power.
Schools receive solar panels, generators and infrastructure support
Provincial education departments reported several interventions, including installing solar panels where feasible and providing temporary generators while permanent solutions were developed.
They also engaged municipalities, Eskom and other electricity providers to restore supply, repair damaged infrastructure and secure dedicated transformers where schools were affected by shared electricity infrastructure.
For schools, reliable electricity is essential for teaching and learning, computer laboratories, internet connectivity, administration systems, security infrastructure and other daily operations.
Gwarube said provincial education departments remained responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining school infrastructure, while the Department of Basic Education sets national norms and standards and monitors compliance.
She said the time required to restore electricity differed depending on the cause of each interruption.
“The intervention required and the time needed to restore or stabilise supply differ according to the cause of the interruption, the responsible electricity provider, site-specific conditions and the availability of the necessary infrastructure and funding,” Gwarube said.
Hope Ntanzi
sundaytribune.co.za