For illustrative purposes. Disgruntled South Africans march against illegal immigrants in Orange Grove, Johannesburg on 13 February 2022. Picture: Michel Bega As some parents still await placement for their Grade 1 and Grade 8 children, Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, has refuted claims that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) prioritises foreign nationals over South African pupils in public schools.
This follows an alleged ongoing campaign by Operation Dudula, which has been mobilising parents in parts of Gauteng and demanding that South African learners be prioritised over foreign nationals in school placements. In September last year,Operation Dudula allegedly delivered noticesto some schools in Soweto, warning them against admitting undocumented pupils for the 2026 academic year. Chiloane has dismissed claims that foreign nationals are prioritised over South African children.
“We wish to reiterate that the department does not have a directive that instructs schools or officials to prioritise foreign nationals during learner placements. On the contrary, South African learners are prioritised in line with applicable legislation, as well as the Department’s admissions and placement processes.” Chiloane said that inner-grade applications (Grades 2-7 and 9-11) are managed directly at the school level. He said they are not facilitated online, unlike the GDE Online Admissions system for Grade 1 and Grade 8.
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“Some Gauteng schools are currently facing challenges in accommodating inner grade applicants, and as such, we urge schools to work collaboratively with district offices to manage the placements of these grades. This approach will ensure that pupils are placed efficiently. “No school is permitted to prioritise foreign national pupils ahead of South African pupils.
Any school or official found to be contravening admissions policies will be subjected to consequence management. We will not tolerate any claims that suggest foreign nationals are prioritised at the expense of South African nationals,” said Chiloane.
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