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Gauteng Education MEC, Lebogang Maile, has issued a stern warning to municipalities disconnecting water and electricity at public schools.

Maile says the department will explore legal action to protect schools from what he calls reckless behaviour.

He addressed the media, saying the department has already received almost 500,000 applications for the 2027 academic year.

The MEC says this adds to pressure on an already constrained education system and schools being overcrowded.

He has warned municipalities to reconnect any school whose water or electricity has been cut off. He says the department provides schools with funding for utilities, but is considering centralising the process to prevent schools from being caught between municipalities and government.

“It is very irresponsible, reckless, and it shows lack of leadership on the path of municipalities for disconnecting schools. That’s why, in the meantime, I am warning municipalities for the last time today. Whatever school that is disconnected must be reconnected. If they don’t do that, we are going to explore our legal options,” he says.

The warning comes as Gauteng Education faces growing pressure from rising learner numbers. The department says it has already received 451-thousand applications for the 2027 academic year.

Maile says the number is being monitored constantly, with more learners expected to enter the system.

He says they are using the Screening, Identification, Assessment, and Support (SIAS) system to track the placement of these learners on a weekly basis.

But infrastructure remains one of the department’s biggest challenges. The department says there are schools where learners have to compete for desks and chairs.

“Furniture shortages raised during the outreach have been converted into a process. A database of furniture shortages has been consolidated, and procurement and distribution have to be conveyed properly. Available funding cannot help every school simultaneously. Schools will be prioritized by urgency and needs,” he says.

Maile says they are conducting searches and seizures at schools, including the recent Badirile operation in Carletonville, with further raids planned.

It is also spending R165 million rand on school patrollers, while working with the Community Safety Department and SAPS on additional interventions.

“Work is also being driven on anti-bullying interventions and misconduct measures, while school safety matters are being assigned to responsible education support and curriculum functions,” he adds.

Maile says they need an estimated R35 billion to build at least 200 schools to deal with chronic overcrowding and stabilize its under-pressure network.

On average, the province has an influx of roughly 50,000 to 100,000 migrating learners every single year.

With infrastructure, overcrowding, furniture, safety, staffing and connectivity all competing for limited resources, the department says every intervention remains a priority.

For now, the immediate challenge is clear — finding space, teachers and resources for the hundreds of thousands of learners seeking a place in Gauteng’s schools next year.