Johnson Progress

A mounting crisis in Gauteng’s education system has revealed that approximately 5,000 fully documented South African learners remain without school placements for the new academic year, sparking outrage and allegations that undocumented foreign nationals are occupying their seats.

The situation has intensified long-simmering tensions over resource allocation and migration, with activist group Operation Dudula demanding immediate government intervention.

Parents of the unplaced children, who possess birth certificates, parental ID documents, and verified proof of residence, describe feelings of abandonment after exhaustive efforts to secure enrolment.

Many have spent weeks visiting schools and waiting in long queues, only to be turned away due to a lack of space.

This frustration is compounded by widespread claims that around 5,000 foreign national learners are attending Gauteng primary schools having submitted only affidavits, a practice permitted under certain circumstances but now fiercely contested.

The group Operation Dudula has positioned itself at the forefront of the backlash, framing the issue as a failure of the state to prioritize its citizens.

The movement has directly called on Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane to act, arguing that the rights of local learners are being violated.

In a statement capturing their core argument, a spokesperson for the group asserted, “This is not about denying education, but about fairness and priority. These foreign learners have alternative options, including returning to their home countries to attend school. Our South African children have no other place to go.”

Echoing this sentiment, parents of unplaced learners feel betrayed by the system.

One parent, whose child remains at home, captured the collective disillusionment, stating, “We have submitted every required document, followed every procedure, and yet we are told there is no space. It is a deep betrayal to see our children sidelined in their own country.”

The provincial education department, however, operates within a legal framework that mandates providing schooling to all children in South Africa, regardless of immigration status.

The use of affidavits for enrolment is often a stopgap for children lacking formal documentation, a group that can include both migrants and vulnerable South Africans.

Nevertheless, the current placement shortfall has ignited a volatile political debate, transforming school admissions into a flashpoint over broader issues of migration and access to strained public services.

The crisis underscores the severe pressure on Gauteng’s schooling infrastructure, which faces chronic overcrowding, a shortage of classrooms, and relentless population growth.

Many schools are operating far beyond their intended capacity, leaving principals with impossible choices.

As community anger grows, the demand for authorities to find immediate solutions for the thousands of unplaced South African learners is becoming increasingly urgent, highlighting the complex intersection of education policy, administrative capacity, and social cohesion in the province.