Schools Left in Darkness as Municipal Bills Mount

Happiness Primary School is one of three no-fee-paying schools in Nigel that have had their electricity cut off for months.

Three no-fee-paying schools in Nigel have had their electricity cut off by the City of Ekurhuleni since March due to non-payment.

The education department says the schools are responsible for their own bills, but the schools say they do not receive enough government funding.

Alra Park Primary owes the City R162,600, Alra Park Secondary owes R136,200, and Happiness Primary owes R624,830.

The schools are unable to use lights or computers, access WiFi, print study materials and test papers, or use cleaning equipment.

City of Ekhurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini confirmed the schools’ accounts are in arrears and said electricity will be restored once the bills are paid. He said the City could not enter into payment arrangements with the schools, because the education department was responsible for paying the bills.

But Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana told GroundUp that since April 2025, schools were instructed to use their allocated budget and other funds they raise to pay their bills. He said the schools receive rental income from cellphone towers on their premises, which could be used.

Alra Park Primary school governing body (SGB) chairperson Ronnie Smith said they were allocated about R431,000 last year for municipal bills, when their bills had amounted to R840,000.

The SGB has visited the department’s offices several times, said Smith. “We told them that our budget allocation is not nearly enough to sustain the account. They said there is no money.”

Happiness Primary SGB vice-chair Fihliwe Nkonde said their allocated budget last year could only cover a quarter of their costs. The school struggles to raise funds, with most students living in informal settlements.

SGB members had visited the City of Ekhurhuleni’s offices in Boksburg to consult about payment arrangements, but were told that the municipality cannot make payment arrangements for schools, as the Department of Education should pay the bill.

Equal Education’s spatial justice researcher Kimberley Khumalo told GroundUp the department has “shifted its legal and financial obligation onto the shoulders of no-fee-paying schools”.

“These schools are already operating on skeletal budgets,” said Khumalo. “Expecting them to pay [huge municipal debts] from their meagre allocations does not make sense.”

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