Are Western Cape schools really keeping black and coloured pupils on waiting lists for schools with space? Province responds

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has responded to allegations that the province is discriminating against black and coloured pupils in school admissions based on race. The WCED presented its findings to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, addressing concerns that only African and Coloured pupils appear on waiting lists despite schools having space.

This follows previous concerns raised by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) about the province's admissions system, which suggested racial profiling and discrimination.

The WCED clarified that it had not received the final DBE investigation report, so it conducted its own review of admission policies at 10 public schools with the highest number of applications in 2025. The review found no evidence of racial profiling or using race as an admission criterion. All 10 schools explicitly prohibited unfair discrimination and adhered to relevant legal frameworks.

The WCED also examined 431 extremely late Grade 10 applications received in February 2026. It found that all applicants were processed without racial filtering and that 70,520 late applicants were admitted throughout the 2026 academic year, regardless of race or documentation status. Admissions decisions were based on available space, feeder zones, and application date, not race.

The department cited migration and mobility as factors contributing to the demographic profile of late applicants, particularly due to movement from the Eastern Cape to the Western Cape. Late applicants accounted for 114 applications in the sample, representing 53% combined with new registrations and learners seeking better prospects.

The WCED acknowledged the pressure placed on infrastructure, teacher provisioning, learning materials, and budgets due to the high number of late applications. To address this, the Rapid School Build programme had resulted in 25 new schools and 1,661 additional classrooms. For 2027, the WCED plans to strengthen admissions planning by verifying enrollment figures and identifying available learner places, while also engaging regularly with schools and governing bodies.

The department highlighted weekly district admissions meetings and additional access channels, including walk-in centres, a call centre, email access, and a zero-rated SAMI system.