Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, wishes to clarify that the Gauteng Department of Education does not procure office accommodation, enter into lease agreements for such accommodation, or administer a budget for the procurement of office accommodation.
Office accommodation is the responsibility of the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development, which performs the custodial function in relation to provincial immovable assets in terms of the Government Immovable Asset Management Act 19 of 2007 (GIAMA). The Gauteng Department of Education is a user department.
Accordingly, any suggestion that the Gauteng Department of Education has spent money on office accommodation at the expense of school funding is mischievous and misleading. The two functions are governed through distinct legislative and budgetary arrangements.
The Gauteng Department of Education remains accountable for funding schools in accordance with the South African Schools Act, 1996, read with the National Norms and Standards for School Funding. For 2026, the prescribed adequacy amounts are R1 835 per learner for Quintiles 1–3, R919 per learner for Quintile 4 and R315 per learner for Quintile 5.
The Gauteng Department of Education has not deviated from these prescribed funding requirements. School funding has not been reduced or redirected by the Department for the procurement of office accommodation.