Nearly 400 public schools in South Africa experience electricity outages
As South Africa moves beyond years of load shedding, hundreds of schools continue to face electricity challenges, prompting interventions including solar power, generators and infrastructure repairs.
Nearly 400 South African public schools experienced prolonged or complete electricity outages between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2026, according to Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube. The figure, revealed in a parliamentary reply to EFF MP Laetitia Arries, was based on reports from provincial education departments. The Eastern Cape accounted for the majority of affected schools, with 324 schools experiencing interruptions, followed by Gauteng with 19, Free State and Mpumalanga with 13 schools each, KwaZulu-Natal with 12, Limpopo, Northern Cape and Western Cape each with five, and North West with one.
Minister Gwarube clarified that the figure does not represent the number of schools without power at any given time, but rather the specific schools reported as affected during the reporting period. Causes of the interruptions included damaged infrastructure, transformer failures, vandalism, electricity supply disruptions and billing disputes.
Minister Gwarube noted that interventions included installing solar panels, providing temporary generators, and engaging municipalities, Eskom and other electricity providers to restore supply and repair damaged infrastructure. Reliable electricity is crucial for schools, supporting teaching, computer labs, internet access, administration, security, and daily operations.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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