397 South African schools suffered prolonged or complete electricity outages

397 public schools in South Africa experienced prolonged or complete electricity outages over the last two years.

This was revealed by the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, in response to a question by a Member of the National Assembly, Laetitia Arries.

Arries said that many schools in South Africa have operated without electricity for extended periods over the past two years.

“In some cases, schools have functioned without electricity entirely for a prolonged period,” she added.

She asked Gwarube what number of schools have been affected by prolonged and complete electricity outages over the last two years.

She also asked what interventions have been implemented to ensure that all schools have access to a reliable electricity supply.

Gwarube responded, saying between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2026, 397 public schools experienced prolonged or complete electricity outages.

By far the worst province was the Eastern Cape, where 324 schools were hit by prolonged or complete electricity outages.

“The nature and duration of the outages differed across schools and provinces, and some Provincial Education Departments said that outages were intermittent,” she said.

She cited the regulations relating to minimum uniform norms and standards for public school infrastructure regarding the issue.

These regulations require every public school to have an appropriate power supply sufficient to meet the school’s requirements.

“The permitted forms of supply include grid electricity, generators, solar power and wind power,” Gwarube said.

Provincial Education Departments are responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining public school infrastructure.

“In implementing the regulations, provinces are required to consider appropriate alternatives where necessary,” she said.

They must coordinate with government agencies and entities responsible for providing infrastructure and related services.

“The Department of Basic Education sets national norms and standards and performs national monitoring and oversight,” she said.

Number of schools that experienced electricity outages

Province	Number of schools affected
Eastern Cape	324
Free State	13
Gauteng	19
KwaZulu-Natal	12
Limpopo	5
Mpumalanga	13
Northern Cape	5
North West	1
Western Cape	5
Total	397