Schools across Gauteng are facing electricity disconnections despite having received funds from the provincial Department of Education to pay their municipal accounts, officials have confirmed.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) allocated funds to schools in November 2025 specifically to settle municipal obligations, including electricity accounts. However, some schools failed to use the money for its intended purpose, leading to service interruptions that threaten teaching and learning.
Four schools in Eldorado Park received the following allocations in November 2025: Kliptown Primary (R 233 167), Heerengracht Primary (R 358 739), Eldorado Park Secondary (R 523 503), and Eldomaine High School (R 512 306).
The department said it had previously communicated with School Governing Bodies about the decentralisation of municipal account payments and their responsibility to ensure allocations were used to settle these accounts.
“It is quite concerning that some schools are not paying their municipal accounts despite having received the necessary allocations and being aware of their responsibilities to pay their accounts,” the department said.
The Eldorado Park schools are among hundreds across the province facing utility disconnections over unpaid municipal debt. In March, the Democratic Alliance revealed that 138 schools in Ekurhuleni owed the municipality more than R81,9 million in unpaid water and electricity accounts.
A separate report in July 2025 showed 536 schools across Gauteng owed more than R58,5 million in municipal debt, with service disconnections leaving some schools without classroom lighting, compromising hygiene and safety.
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The GDE has urged all affected schools to engage with municipalities to negotiate payment arrangements and work towards settling outstanding debt.
Schools are expected to receive their 2026/27 financial year allocations on or before 15 May, which the department said will assist schools in meeting their operational commitments, including municipal services.
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The department said it is engaging with municipalities across the province to prevent service cuts that could negatively affect teaching and learning.
“These engagements will assist schools in ensuring they consistently pay their accounts and that their payments and accounts remain accurate at all times. Going forward, schools must also ensure that they use the allocations they receive strictly for its intended purposes,” said Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane.
The crisis has been complicated by budget cuts of up to 64% at some schools, which the DA said has widened the gap between school funding and actual running costs amid rising municipal tariffs.
Critics have questioned whether the GDE is evading responsibility by requiring no-fee schools to pay utility bills from their allocations, rather than the department settling these costs directly.
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