As the 2026 academic year approaches, the Competition Commission warns that restrictive supply deals and price disparities are turning basic education into a financial hurdle for many families. Growing up, I never grasped why my mother would descend into a state of near-existential panic whenever I misplaced a school jersey after netball practice. After the inevitable lecture on responsibility, I would find myself elbow-deep in the lost-and-found, hunting for green knitwear as if my life depended on it.
Now, looking at the balance sheets, I finally understand that it was never just about the sweater. It was about the fact that school clothes are, quite frankly, bloody expensive. We have entered that frantic January window where parents navigate the oppressive scent of polyester and mothers strategically buy school shoes two sizes too large, hoping they might survive a growth spurt.
But the squeeze at the till is not merely a symptom of inflation. According to the Competition Commission, this annual burden is compounded by persistent anti-competitive procurement practices that have kept prices artificially high for more than a decade at least. In a media release last Friday, the commission explained that it has been responding to complaints about the escalating prices of these essential items since 2010.
Read Full Article on Daily Maverick
[paywall]
“Parents should not be forced to procure school uniforms or related learning material from exclusive suppliers,” said Mpho Moate, an analyst at the commission. “In fact, schools should adopt and implement competitive procurement practices. The commission has developed guidelines to raise awareness in particular to help the schools, the school governing bodies as well as the parents to understand the benefits of competition in the market, as well as [to] encourage parents to be involved and exercise their right to choose value for money.” Price data reveals substantial differences between retailers and specialised suppliers.
Daily Maverick compared the prices of generic school clothing items across four different retailers in-store. A two-pack of long-sleeve white shirts costs between R229 and R329 at Woolworths. In contrast, single shirts at PEP range from R59.99 to R79.99.
So, two shirts from PEP would cost you between R120 and R160. Basic items from specialised suppliers are often more expensive than chain retailers like PEP and Jet. At School and Leisure in Claremont, Cape Town, two-packs of white-collared shirts are priced up to R208.50, while grey shorts reach R293.50.
Daily Maverick spoke to a mother from Pretoria who has a child going to Grade 1 in a private school. She said the stationery pack for her child cost R640. The cost for the child’s new school clothes was R1,210 for school shirts, skirts and a jacket, although the school also had second-hand clothes for purchase.
Say your daughter attends Fairmont High in Durbanville and you had no school clothing items for the year. If you were to buy all items from School and Leisure, the cost breakdown would be:
[/paywall]
