Gauteng government forced to cut school subsidies after paying R9.3 billion to the failed e-toll system

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi is under fire for a 64% budget cut to schools after they paid R9.3 billion for the failed e-toll system.

The DA’s Michael Waters said learners bear the consequences of the severe budget cuts, with electricity disconnections at schools.

Last year, information emerged about a drastic reduction in subsidies paid by the Gauteng Department of Education to quintile 5 schools.

AfriForum warned that the cost-cutting measures would negatively affect the quality of education at these schools.

“Fuller classrooms and less individual attention to learners will be some of the consequences of this step,” it said.

Earlier this year, the City of Tshwane started to cut power to schools which were in arrears on their municipal accounts.

However, AfriForum successfully fought a legal battle to restore power to these schools, saying it is the provincial government’s responsibility to pay the bills.

The problems with school funding in Gauteng have now been laid bare following the DA’s questions on the issue.

The party asked Gauteng Education MEC Lebohang Maile about the budget cuts to schools in the province.

“Maile noted that the province’s finances have been placed under strain by the decision to assume responsibility for e-toll debt,” Waters said.

He argued that this was ridiculous because the e-toll scheme was a national project, not a Gauteng project.

“Premier Lesufi caved in and has already committed more than R16 billion of Gauteng taxpayers’ money to pay for something that residents never accepted,” he said.

Waters said that the consequences of that decision are now felt in classrooms across the Gauteng province.

“While billions are paying off e-tolls, schools are told there is no money to prevent a 64% reduction in school subsidies,” he said.

“Lesufi’s government has chosen to deplete provincial finances to clean up the e-toll mess it created.”

He added that the result is that parents are expected to pay more in school fees while receiving less in return.