The High Court in Pretoria has ordered the City of Tshwane to restore electricity to schools that were cut off over unpaid property rates.

 Laerskool Wierdapark and AfriForum brought the urgent application this week.

The matter was heard on Tuesday.

AfriForum said several schools were disconnected, despite having paid their electricity accounts in full. It said school governing bodies are responsible for paying for services such as electricity and water, while property rates are meant to be dealt with by “the authorities”.

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AfriForum’s head of cultural affairs, Alana Bailey, said the disconnections had disrupted teaching and placed learners and staff at risk.

“It is unfair that learners and staff’s rights to have access to quality education, safety, and even the provision of their basic needs are being violated due to the authorities’ maladministration. At the affected schools, teaching could

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A number of municipalities are under scrutiny after E. coli contamination was detected in drinking water at schools within their jurisdictions, raising concerns about compliance with basic water quality standards.

The affected municipalities include Chief Albert Luthuli in Mpumalanga; Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Enoch Mgijima, Makana, Sundays River Valley and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro in the Eastern Cape; Matjhabeng and Nketoana in the Free State; Mpofana and Umvoti in KwaZulu-Natal; and the City of Cape Town in the Western Cape.

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The findings come from the WaterCAN Schools Water Testing Project, which identified 20 schools with dangerously high levels of E. coli in their drinking water, out of 72 schools that submitted test results.

WaterCAN said the contamination points to possible faecal pollution and raised concerns about the safety of water supplied to public institutions, particularly

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Limpopo’s department of education has told parents, teachers and schools in the flood-hit Vhembe and Mopani districts not to reopen schools on Wednesday, warning that heavy rains have created dangerous conditions and disrupted key services, including school meals and scholar transport.

The department said the rains and flooding had affected the delivery of food to schools and added that scholar transport vehicles could also face difficulties.

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“The Department wishes to inform parents, guardians and teachers in the affected two districts to take caution and not reopen schools [on Wednesday]. This is to ensure the safety of learners and educators within the affected areas,” the department said.

“The department will advise when it is suitable for schooling to resume in the affected areas.”

The warning came after heavy rains caused major disruptions across the two districts, with

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For the first time, all 75 school districts across South Africa have recorded matric pass rates of 80% and above.

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced the milestone during the official release of the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results on Monday night in Johannesburg.

Gwarube said the achievement signals a significant shift in the education system, noting that performance gaps between districts and provinces are narrowing compared to previous years.

“District performance is one of our clearest quality indicators – because it shows whether improvement is spreading system-wide or remaining concentrated in pockets of strength,” she said.

She added that this marks a turning point where improvement is no longer limited to a few pockets of excellence but is being realised across all districts.

“[W]e see what is possible when schools are supported and districts are strong. Districts like uMkhanyakude and Umlazi remind us that outstanding

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As schools close and families enter the festive season, parents, caregivers and guardians are urged to place the safety and well-being of children at the centre of their holiday plans.

With children spending more time at home, in public spaces, and online, risks increase significantly when supervision slips.

The festive period is traditionally a time of celebration and travel, but it is also potentially one of the most dangerous times of the year for children.

In South Africa, incidents of child trafficking, kidnapping, road accidents and abuse tend to rise during this period. Parents are encouraged to always know their children’s whereabouts and ensure they are never left unattended in unsafe environments.

Child trafficking has become a crisis that continues to raise alarms and concerns.

According to the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there’s been

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