Corruption and mismanagement concerns over Gauteng schools

The Gauteng Department of Education has revealed the findings of an internal assessment into corruption, fraud, financial mismanagement, and governance failures in public schools across the province between 2023 and mid-2026. The report identifies 41 serious cases involving school principals, governing body members, officials, and service providers. It highlights systemic issues including procurement irregularities, theft of school resources, misuse of funds, and corruption in scholar transport and nutrition programmes. While the department says this is a preliminary step toward accountability, it has committed to referring cases to law enforcement, strengthening internal controls, and implementing stricter oversight measures. To unpack this for us we are now joined on the line by Onwabile Lubhelwana, spokesperson for Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile