Varsity Football returns in August with a revamped schedule, as South Africa’s premier university football competition introduces Friday night fixtures for the men’s tournament while the women’s championship opens the 2026 season.
The move to Friday evenings marks one of the biggest changes in the competition’s history, with organisers aiming to create a prime-time matchday experience for supporters.
The women’s tournament kicks off on 1 August and will be contested over two weekends before the men’s competition begins on 7 August and runs through to 2 October.
Eight universities will compete for the women’s title: Walter Sisulu University (WSU), Wits University, the University of Limpopo (UL), Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of Pretoria (Tuks) and defending champions the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
UWC enter the tournament seeking a fourth consecutive Varsity Football Women’s title after defeating UJ in the 2025 final at UJ Soweto Stadium to secure a historic third successive championship.
The opening round of the women’s competition will be hosted by the University of Pretoria on 1 August, with the following fixtures:
WSU vs Wits – 1:00pm
UL vs CPUT – 3:00pm
TUT vs UJ – 5:00pm
Tuks vs UWC – 7:00pm
The men’s competition will see defending champions the University of the Free State (UFS) begin their title defence after defeating TUT 5-4 on penalties in the 2025 final at Shimla Park.
The University of Limpopo joins this year’s men’s competition, while UWC returns after missing last season’s tournament. North-West University (NWU) and the Central University of Technology (CUT) did not qualify.
The opening men’s fixtures on 7 August are:
UFS vs Tuks – 5:00pm, Shimla Park
UJ vs TUT – 7:15pm, UJ Soweto Stadium
UWC vs Wits – 6:30pm, UWC Stadium
UL vs DUT – 6:30pm, Oscar Mpetha Stadium
Ahead of the new season, Varsity Football has launched a nationwide campus activation campaign to promote the competition and engage students.
The Gauteng Department of Education will take over the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls campus after the 2027 academic year as Oprah Winfrey shifts her education philanthropy to an expanded national scholarship programme in the country.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Lebogang Maile welcomed the transition on Thursday, saying the department would preserve the academy’s educational legacy when the property and facilities in Henley on Klip are transferred to the provincial government.
The handover is in line with the original partnership agreement under which the academy was established. Administrative processes are under way to facilitate the transfer.
Maile said the transition reflected the success of the academy’s nearly two decades of operation and created an opportunity for its work to reach more girls across South Africa.
“Since opening its doors in 2007, the Academy has empowered more than 1,000 academically gifted learners from disadvantaged communities through an education founded on academic excellence, leadership, integrity, compassion and purpose,” he said.
Maile thanked Winfrey for her investment in the education and leadership development of young women, saying the academy had created opportunities and transformed the lives of learners and their families.
He said educating girls strengthened families and communities and contributed to South Africa’s social and economic development.
“The Gauteng Department of Education is committed to preserving and advancing the Academy’s legacy of academic excellence, ethical leadership and educational opportunity,” Maile said.
The department said every learner currently enrolled at the academy would be able to complete her education with uninterrupted academic, financial and personal support.
Under the new model, Winfrey’s initiative will support academically talented girls at leading schools across South Africa, broadening access beyond a single residential campus.
“The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education,” Winfrey said in the academy’s statement.
“I’m excited that this next chapter will allow us to reach even more young women across South Africa and continue the promise that began more than 20 years ago.”
The academy opened in 2007 and has since educated more than 1,000 young women from disadvantaged communities.
A study commissioned in 2024 found that 99% of surveyed graduates progressed to higher education. Nearly nine in 10 said the academy had provided opportunities they would not otherwise have received, while 94% said their education had positively transformed their families.
Throughout the transition, the academy will continue supporting current learners and alumnae through mentorship, leadership development and higher-education programmes.
Deputy Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Andries Nel has called for South Africa to move beyond using indigenous languages only for court interpretation and instead develop them as languages of legal education, scholarship and judicial decision-making.
Delivering a public lecture on “Indigenous Languages and the Justice System” at the University of Mpumalanga on Tuesday, Nel proposed a five-year partnership between the university, the South African Judicial Education Institute (SAJEI) and the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College to expand multilingual justice, develop legal terminology and strengthen interpreter training.
“Interpretation remains indispensable. However, we must progress from interpreted participation towards multilingual production,” Nel said.
“A genuinely multilingual constitutional order therefore requires more than interpreted access. It requires participation in the production of jurisprudence itself.”
Nel said the Department of Justice should consider signing a memorandum of understanding with the University of Mpumalanga through the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College to establish a national centre of excellence for justice sector education, research and professional development.
He said Section 6(2) of the Constitution imposed a clear obligation on the state to promote indigenous languages.
“It recognises the historically diminished use and status of the indigenous languages of our people and imposes a positive duty upon the state to take practical and positive measures to elevate their status and advance their use,” he said.
“It requires action, not ceremonial recognition. It requires measures that are practical and positive, not promises that remain permanently aspirational.”
Nel acknowledged the irony of delivering a lecture on indigenous languages in English, noting that English continues to dominate legislation, court judgments, legal publishing, university teaching and professional practice.
“I use it today as a shared medium, but that convenience itself reflects the historical process this lecture addresses,” he said.
He argued that constitutional recognition of indigenous languages would remain symbolic unless government invested in legal terminology, translation systems, publishing programmes, teaching materials, digital language resources and dedicated funding.
“We proclaim that indigenous languages must be elevated, yet fail to build the terminology units, translation systems, publishing programmes, professional incentives, digital corpora, teaching materials and budgets required to do so,” Nel said.
He added that while litigants can participate in court proceedings in their own languages through interpreters, the legal system itself continues to operate largely in English.
“The relevant question is not whether isiNdebele, siSwati, Xitsonga, Sepedi, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Setswana or Tshivenda are capable of jurisprudence,” he said.
“The question is whether South African institutions will invest the sustained intellectual labour required to develop that capacity within the modern legal system.”
Nel challenged the University of Mpumalanga to play a leading role in developing multilingual jurisprudence rather than simply teaching the legal traditions inherited from the past.
He also warned that the future of indigenous languages would increasingly depend on technological development.
“Artificial intelligence, speech recognition, machine translation and digital government services all require quality language resources,” he said.
“Languages that are not developed digitally risk being left behind.”
Highlighting the role of court interpreters, Nel said they remain among the most important yet least recognised professionals in the justice system.
He said South Africa employs about 1,900 permanent court interpreters and more than 500 ad hoc interpreters, with Shona being the most frequently requested foreign language in the country’s courts.
Nel also cautioned against calls to replace constitutional supremacy with parliamentary sovereignty and substitute Roman-Dutch law with an indigenous legal order.
“The grievance to which this proposal appeals is real. However, the proposed remedy, whilst radical in form, is reactionary in substance,” he said.
He argued that parliamentary sovereignty was the constitutional mechanism through which apartheid laws were enacted and said South Africa’s focus should instead be on implementing the Constitution’s multilingual vision.
“Thirty years after the adoption of the Constitution, our task is not merely to praise its multilingual promise but to build the institutions through which that promise can be realised,” Nel said.
“Let us ensure that every language of our people can become a language not only in which justice is heard but through which justice is imagined, reasoned and made.”
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) on Tuesday issued a Level 6 warning for disruptive rain across parts of KwaZulu-Natal, with flooding, infrastructure damage and major traffic disruption possible.
The warning is valid from midday on Tuesday until midday on Wednesday.
Affected areas include Big Five Hlabisa-Hluhluwe, eThekwini, KwaDukuza, Mandeni, Mtubatuba, Ray Nkonyeni, Umdoni, uMhlathuze, uMlalazi and Umzumbe.
“Persistent rainfall is expected along the coast and adjacent interior, which may lead to flooding of roads and settlements, damage to infrastructure and mud-based houses today and tomorrow,” the weather service said in its warning.
A cut-off low over South Africa’s southern interior and a ridging high-pressure system south of the country were drawing moisture over KwaZulu-Natal.
These systems were expected to bring scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers across the province on Tuesday, although conditions would be more isolated in the extreme north.
Scattered showers and thundershowers were also forecast for Wednesday, with isolated activity expected in the extreme north-east.
The weather service warned that significant rainfall could flood roads, bridges and formal and informal settlements, while fast-flowing streams and deep water could pose a danger to life.
Major roads could become flooded, severely disrupting traffic, while water, electricity and communication services could also be affected. Mud-based houses may be damaged.
Residents were urged to avoid crossing rivers and swollen streams where the water was above ankle height.
Motorists trapped in vehicles during flooding should abandon them and move to higher ground. People inside buildings were advised to move valuables above the anticipated flood level and switch off electricity at the supply point.
Those in rural areas were advised to protect or relocate animals to safer ground.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has launched the Gauteng Human Resource Development Council (GHRDC), saying the province’s economic future depends on equipping young people with skills that match the demands of a rapidly changing economy.
The council, launched at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria on Tuesday, is expected to provide strategic leadership in the implementation of the Gauteng Master Skills Plan 3 (2026–2030), while aligning education, training and workforce development with the province’s economic priorities.
Chaired by Lesufi, the council brings together government, higher education institutions, business, organised labour and civil society to tackle youth unemployment, poverty, inequality and critical skills shortages.
Speaking at the launch, Lesufi said investing in people was central to achieving sustainable economic growth and building a capable state.
“History teaches us that nations that prosper are nations that invest in their people. If you can’t get the skills right, you will not get the country right. If you can’t get the skills right, you will not get the economy right,” he said.
Lesufi warned that job creation without a skilled workforce would not resolve South Africa’s unemployment crisis.
“You might have ambitions to eliminate unemployment, but when jobs are created and the skills are not there, unemployment will be permanent. We are choosing the other path of building the skills, building capabilities and converting our schools to be the pipeline of future skills,” he said.
He said the GHRDC would ensure that the province’s economic plans translate into tangible outcomes by placing skills development at the heart of Gauteng’s growth strategy.
“I come to launch a council that will convert these master plans and economic plans into reality. This council is not only a human development capability or an engine room. It’s expanding people’s choices. It’s making it easy for our children to say there is a future in this province,” Lesufi said.
The Premier highlighted Gauteng’s investment in Schools of Specialisation, saying they were key to preparing learners for industries expected to drive future economic growth.
“The launch of almost 34 Schools of Specialisation in our province is an investment that must not be undermined,” he said.
“If a school says we’re a School of Specialisation in aviation, maritime studies, business development or engineering, you must know that’s the future, and that school is in Gauteng.”
Lesufi said the establishment of the council represented more than the creation of another government structure.
“Today is more than the establishment of another institution. It’s the beginning of a renewed partnership that places people at the centre of development,” he said.
He said collaboration between government, universities, industry, labour and communities would be crucial to ensuring education and skills development respond to changing labour market needs.
UNISA Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula welcomed the launch, describing the council and the Gauteng Master Skills Plan 3 as important milestones in advancing skills development and inclusive economic growth.
She said education remained the foundation of human development but required support from research, innovation and partnerships to address society’s challenges.
“I am of the view that the launch of the Gauteng HRDC represents a decisive investment in the vision of the province. It reflects our collective commitment to harnessing evidence-based decision-making, cultivating innovation and strengthening collaboration among government, higher education institutions, industry, organised labour and civil society,” LenkaBula said.
She said universities and colleges had a critical role in producing graduates equipped for the digital economy while contributing to social and economic development.
LenkaBula challenged stakeholders to consider how South Africa could build a socially just economy that promotes inclusive and sustainable development.
“How do we create a socially just economic system that promotes inclusive and sustainable development?” she asked.
Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube described the launch as a historic milestone, noting that Gauteng was the final province to establish a Provincial Human Resource Development Council.
She said the council builds on the Human Resource Development Strategy 2025–2035 and the National Master Skills Plan launched earlier this year.
“The launch marks a historic milestone, completing the establishment of Provincial Human Resource Development Councils across all nine provinces,” Dube-Ncube said.
She said provincial councils would help translate national skills priorities into practical interventions in communities, schools, workplaces and training institutions.
Dube-Ncube also outlined efforts to modernise Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college curricula by prioritising occupational and technical programmes aligned with industry needs.
“We are modernising our curriculum, particularly the TVET curriculum, to ensure that it focuses on occupational and trade skills that respond directly to the economy,” she said.
She said stronger partnerships between education institutions and industry were necessary to ensure young people acquire skills relevant to the labour market.
“We want to make sure that those skills that are given to the young people are skills that the industry needs, but also talk to today’s realities of the artificial intelligence age,” Dube-Ncube said.
In South African education, where the pressure to improve outcomes remains intense amid diverse school contexts and varying resource levels, good intentions alone rarely move the needle on student achievement.
From foundation phase literacy gaps to matric performance and university readiness, the system faces persistent challenges. What separates schools that deliver consistent progress from those that continue to struggle is a disciplined commitment to measurement and adjustment.
Effective school leadership begins with reliable metrics
These include externally moderated assessments that provide objective benchmarks and classroom-based evaluations that capture day-to-day realities. Without them, it’s easy to confuse activity with progress.
Growth diagnostics help pinpoint strengths and areas needing urgent attention, turning vague concerns into targeted action.
Advtech’s Stellar framework, combined with MAP assessments and Advlearn mastery tracking, demonstrates how structured metrics and digital tools can help leaders move from collecting data to driving measurable student improvement.
Collecting data is only the starting point.
Strong leaders should ensure regular data meetings that focus on action rather than compliance. They ask tough questions: Are intervention plans per grade and subject actually being implemented? Who is accountable for tracking learner growth and parent engagement? Are teachers equipped to interpret reports and adjust instruction accordingly?
Root-cause analysis becomes indispensable here. Poor results in a particular grade or subject might stem from foundational gaps, inconsistent curriculum pacing, attendance issues, or uneven teacher capacity.
Without structured reflection, from seeing the data, to thinking through causes, and wondering about solutions, schools risk applying generic fixes that fail to move outcomes.
The importance of continuous course correction
Book checks, lesson plan reviews, assessment moderation, and error analysis after tests create the continuous feedback teachers need to improve. In addition to evaluating performance, these practices build a culture where everyone, from school leaders to classroom teachers, is oriented toward measurable student growth.
Ultimately, feedback loops empower teachers to seek evidence of their effect, reflect on misconceptions, and reteach with purpose rather than blame.
Students benefit when they receive quality feedback and understand where they stand. Parents stay engaged when schools communicate transparently about progress and required support. And leaders fulfil their most important role: guiding instructional excellence so that every student has the best chance to succeed.
Education faces no shortage of challenges whether these be resource constraints, staffing transitions, or shifting curricula. Yet schools that systematically measure impact and close the loop with deliberate action consistently outperform those that rely on hope or habit.
The evidence is clear that sustained focus on metrics and feedback isn’t bureaucratic overhead, but rather the most powerful lever we have for student success.
Desiree Hugo is Executive: Advtech Schools Academics.
For over four decades, Fashion World has been more than a fashion retailer. Since opening our doors in 1981, we have believed that our responsibility extends far beyond providing quality and affordable clothing.
Yazeed Osman engaging with highschool youth in Soweto
We have always believed that a successful business should uplift the communities it serves, create opportunities where they are needed most, and leave a positive legacy for future generations.
Our purpose has always been rooted in people. Every store we open, every customer we serve, and every initiative we undertake is driven by the belief that meaningful impact begins with investing in individuals and empowering communities. While fashion remains at the heart of our business, people remain at the heart of our purpose.
AI and digital skills investment
As South Africa continues to embrace a rapidly evolving digital economy, we recognise that the greatest investment we can make is not only in products, but in people.
Today’s young generation will shape tomorrow’s workforce, businesses and innovations. Giving them access to technology, digital skills and entrepreneurial thinking is one of the most meaningful ways we can contribute to the country’s future.
This belief inspired our continued commitment to programmes that expose young South Africans to opportunities beyond the classroom.
Throughout 2026, our Local is Love campaign has reflected what we stand for, creating meaningful impact by investing in communities and empowering young people to realize their full potential.
Dr Pali Lehohla teaching AI and data analysis to highschool youth in Soweto
As part of this commitment, we partnered with schools, education innovators, civil society organisations and leaders within the technology sector to deliver practical AI for Good digital skills programmes for high school learners.
On 16 June, Youth Day, 100 learners from five Soweto high schools came together for a full-day immersive workshop where they explored Artificial Intelligence, coding, digital innovation and entrepreneurship while addressing real challenges facing their communities.
For us, this was never simply about introducing technology. It was about creating access, building confidence and demonstrating that innovation belongs to every young South African, regardless of their background.
Having worked alongside communities for over forty years, we have seen how exposure creates confidence, confidence creates ambition, and ambition creates opportunity.
We believe businesses have an important role to play in opening these doors. By sharing knowledge, collaborating with educational partners and investing in future-focused learning, the private sector can become an active contributor to South Africa’s long-term development.
What AI for Good really means in education
The programme also raised an important question that continues to shape conversations globally:
What does “AI For Good” actually mean within the South African education landscape?
To explore this, we brought together learners, teachers, youth leaders and experts from education and technology for an intergenerational dialogue focused on practical learning.
Rather than simply discussing Artificial Intelligence, learners were encouraged to experience it firsthand – using AI tools to research ideas, solve community challenges, develop solutions and present their thinking with confidence.
We were honoured to welcome Dr Pali Lehohla, former Statistician General, as keynote speaker. Reflecting on the significance of Youth Day and the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, he challenged learners to see data, technology and Artificial Intelligence as tools capable of transforming South Africa’s future.
AI For Good innovations for community upliftment
He encouraged young people to become active creators of knowledge rather than passive consumers, reminding them that AI is ultimately built upon human contribution, collaboration and shared information.
Complementing the day’s practical workshops were immersive coding sessions, digital platform creation and entrepreneurship activities delivered alongside our valued partners.
Two collaborators who work directly with learners on the ground, Jenny Holyer of Ace Academy and Yazeed Osman of Liberation Hub, share their perspectives on what programmes like these mean for education and youth development in South Africa today.
Jenny Holyer: Using AI tools to create opportunity
Jenny Holyer working on the AI For Good coding
Everyone has the potential to create meaningful change. Sometimes, all it takes is access to the right tools and the opportunity to use them.
Growing up as an orphan in a village where even running water was a luxury, taught me that resourcefulness is one of life’s greatest skills. That experience inspired me to create Ace Academy – the kind of learning environment I wish I had growing up.
On Youth Day, that vision came to life as learners from five high schools across Soweto came together to tackle real challenges in their communities. Working in teams, they identified local issues, debated ideas, challenged assumptions, and developed practical solutions.
Using Ace Academy’s AI-powered learning platform, built specifically for school learners, they accessed curated educational resources to research their ideas, create pitch decks, build websites, and confidently present their solutions.
Analysing the data and preparing for AI For Good presentation for communities in Soweto
Designed as a structured learning companion rather than a general Chabot, Ace kept learners focused on critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving.
As the day unfolded, one theme kept resurfacing: opportunity.
Many learners spoke about the limited resources available to them. I encouraged them not to focus on what they didn’t have, but on what they could build with what they did have.
Our goal wasn’t to provide every answer. It was to equip learners with the skills, confidence, and mindset to create opportunities for themselves and their communities.
I left them with one final thought: The greatest resource you’ll ever have is the ability to learn, adapt, and create.
Yazeed Osman: African youth must become creators of technology
Mr Zaheer teaching youth at Soweto AI For Good
The young people of 1976 fought for access to education because they understood that education creates opportunity. Today, our responsibility is to ensure that the next generation has access not only to education, but also to the technologies, digital skills, and entrepreneurial mindset that will shape the future.
Africa has the youngest population in the world, and that represents one of the greatest opportunities of our generation.
As a father of two young girls, I think often about the kind of Africa our children will inherit.
Technology and Artificial Intelligence are transforming every industry, but AI should never be something our young people fear. It should be something they understand, use responsibly, and ultimately help shape.
Our goal is to ensure African youth become creators of technology and solutions, not simply consumers of them.
That is why Liberation Hub exists – to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity through entrepreneurship, technology exposure, practical learning, and community partnerships.
AI For Good innovations for community upliftment
The AI For Good workshop, made possible through Fashion World’s Local is Love initiative and supported by Google Developer Group Africa, demonstrates what becomes possible when business, education and communities unite behind a shared purpose.
Exposure creates confidence, and confidence creates opportunity.
My message to every learner was simple: stay curious, ask questions, solve problems, and never underestimate what is possible. The future belongs to those who prepare for it.
Highschool learners AI solutions on display – created by Sowetoyouth for AI For Good
Fashion World and its partners will continue supporting programmes that provide practical opportunities in technology, entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the year, including new virtual learning experiences during Mandela Month and Women’s Month.
Zaheer Dockrat is COO of Fashion World ZA. Jenny Holyer is Co-founder of Ace Academy, and Yazeed Osman is Co-founder of Liberation Hub and Managing Partner of Usfl.Stoep.
Parents applying for Grade 1 and Grade 8 placements at Gauteng public schools for the 2027 academic year will be able to submit applications from 5 August, with the Gauteng Department of Education urging families to apply early as demand for school places continues to grow.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Lebogang Maile announced on Monday that the online admissions system will open at 8am next week on Wednesday, and close at midnight on 4 September.
Maile said Gauteng’s public education system now serves more than 2.4 million learners across 2,111 schools, with enrolment increasing by more than 23,000 learners between 2025 and 2026 alone.
“Accordingly, we are pleased to announce that applications for admission to Grade 1 and Grade 8 for the 2027 academic year will officially open at 08h00 on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, and close at 00h00 (midnight) on Friday, 4 September 2026,” Maile said.
He urged parents to avoid waiting until the last minute.
“We encourage every parent and legal guardian to apply as early as possible, submit authentic supporting documents, follow every step of the application process carefully and make full use of the Department’s official support services whenever assistance is required.”
Parents will be required to complete a five-step application process, including registering their details, capturing the learner’s information, applying to between three and five schools, and submitting supporting documents within seven school days of applying. Registration alone will not be regarded as a completed application.
The department also reminded parents that Grade R learners are not automatically promoted to Grade 1 and must also apply through the online admissions system. Applications for Grades 2 to 7 and Grades 9 to 12 must still be made directly to schools.
Maile warned parents against submitting fraudulent documents or paying anyone who promises to secure a school place.
“No public school place in Gauteng is for sale. The Gauteng Department of Education does not charge any fee for assisting parents with online admissions, and every official support service remains completely free,” he said.
The department said proof of residence remains one of the most important documents required during the admissions process, as it is used to verify feeder zones and allocate learners fairly. It warned that fraudulent proof of residence could lead to applications being rejected and criminal action being taken.
To assist parents, the department has set up 48 walk-in centres, including all district offices, its head office and public schools across Gauteng, where officials will help with the online application process.
Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile has defended the province’s school feeder zone policy, saying it is needed to manage severe overcrowding as thousands of new learners continue to enter Gauteng’s public education system each year.
Speaking during a media briefing on Monday, Maile rejected claims that the online admissions system limits parents’ freedom to choose schools, saying the province simply does not have enough space to accommodate every learner at their preferred school.
He said Gauteng’s public schools have grown from about 1.4 million learners in 1995 to more than 2.4 million today, placing enormous pressure on existing infrastructure.
“We’ve got 50,000 people every year coming to Gauteng,” Maile said.
“As we speak today, there’s 2.4 million in public schools. This is not a small matter. We are dealing with a very, very difficult situation. It’s not easy to manage public schools in Gauteng.”
Maile was responding to concerns that the feeder zone system disadvantages learners who want to attend schools outside their communities, particularly former Model C schools.
He said no learner was prevented from applying to schools outside their area, but government had to prioritise learners who lived closest to schools because of limited capacity.
“If Bryanston High takes 1,200 learners and already has 1,400 learners, what must Bryanston High do? Continue admitting more learners because somebody has freedom of choice?” he asked.
“The next thing you’ll be writing stories that classes are overcrowded and that government is irresponsible.”
Maile also rejected suggestions that township schools offered inferior education.
“This thing of trying to create an impression that township schools are dysfunctional has to be challenged with facts,” he said.
“We can give you facts about the good work that educators who are in these schools are doing.”
The department said overcrowding remains one of its biggest challenges, with only one of Gauteng’s 15 education districts not experiencing overcrowding pressures.
Maile said overcrowding across the province currently stood at 64% and estimated that Gauteng would need about 200 new schools, at a cost of R35 billion, to address the problem.
“These are the realities. The problem is big and that’s why we are asking the public to cooperate and help us deal with the issue,” he said.
The department’s Chief Director for School Management, Mmule Madonsela, said the admissions regulations require schools to prioritise applicants who live closest to them because learners should ideally be able to walk to school.
“The regulations are saying we will prioritise applicants who live closest to the school because we want learners to walk to school. We don’t want learners to be in taxis and buses travelling long distances,” she said.
Madonsela added that parents still had several options when applying, including schools within 30 kilometres of their home, schools near their workplace and schools beyond the 30-kilometre radius, subject to available space.
She said learner placements ultimately depended on each school’s approved capacity.
“You can’t place beyond a capacity. If for Grade 8 you only have 100 spaces, you have 100 spaces and you’re going to place 100 learners. You can’t really place 200 learners,” she said.
Stellantis South Africa has partnered with Social Coding South Africa to equip learners and teachers in underserved communities with the digital skills needed for an increasingly technology-driven economy, with the programme set to begin reaching beneficiaries in early 2027.
The automotive company has launched a mobile computer lab that will deliver coding, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) training to schools with limited access to technology.
The initiative forms part of Stellantis Philanthropy, the company’s global programme that supports education, youth development and expanded access to opportunities through sustainable community investment.
The programme aims to build long-term digital capacity by training teachers and certifying young facilitators to continue delivering digital education within their communities.
The lab is designed to overcome transport and infrastructure challenges by bringing digital learning directly to schools.
Beginning in early 2027, the programme will roll out to beneficiary schools, where Grade 8 and 9 learners will receive practical training in coding, robotics, AI and digital literacy, while teachers will be equipped to integrate technology into classroom teaching.
Young people participating in the programme will also receive facilitator training and digital skills certification, with selected participants gaining paid work experience to support the expansion of the initiative.
Learners will have opportunities to compete in national and international robotics competitions, exposing them to global innovation and strengthening their competitiveness in the growing digital economy.
In a press release, Head of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa at Stellantis, Sizwekazi Mdingi, said investing in digital skills is critical to creating long-term social and economic opportunities.
“At Stellantis, we believe that access to skills and opportunities is key to unlocking long-term social and economic progress. Through Stellantis Philanthropy, we support initiatives that help young people build their future and strengthen their communities,” she said.
“Our partnership with Social Coding South Africa reflects this commitment by equipping learners and educators with digital skills that can open doors to future opportunities.”
Founder of Social Coding South Africa, Thembiso Magajana, said the partnership would help bridge the digital divide by making technology education accessible to communities that have traditionally been excluded.
“With Stellantis behind us, our mobile lab can reach learners, teachers and young facilitators who are too often left out of the digital economy and show them that coding, robotics and AI are within their reach. Because we train facilitators and equip teachers, the skills remain in the community long after the lab moves on,” he said.
