Why South Africa has over 27 000 unfilled teaching positions
South Africa's education system is in crisis, with over 27,000 teaching posts unfilled and thousands of qualified teachers left unemployed.
South Africa faces a critical education crisis with 27,092 teaching positions remaining unfilled, leaving qualified teachers unemployed, according to Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube. PERSAL data from June 30, 2026, shows a national educator vacancy rate of 7%. The Eastern Cape leads with 5,730 vacant teaching spots, followed by KwaZulu-Natal (4,700) and Gauteng (3,994).
The Western Cape has 3,562, Limpopo 3,097, Mpumalanga 1,866, North West 2,346, Northern Cape 1,521, and the Free State 276. However, the department clarifies that a recorded vacancy doesn't necessarily mean a classroom lacks a teacher, as temporary or acting arrangements may fill temporary vacancies. Any appointment or conversion still depends on meeting requirements, funding, and recruitment processes.
As of the same date, 2,654 educator posts were marked as "frozen" in the PERSAL system, indicating they aren't necessarily frozen due to budget constraints, but the department hasn't yet provided a complete national breakdown of deliberately frozen vacancies.
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