What is unfolding is not a crisis of numbers or administration. It is a deliberate political failure, engineered and maintained by those in power. Working-class South African children are being structurally locked out of public education while the state normalises exclusion through bureaucracy, press briefings, and hollow assurances.

We locate responsibility without hesitation. The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, the Premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, and the Department of Basic Education preside over this collapse. They do so knowingly. Year after year, they reproduce the same outcomes because exclusion has become policy practice, not an error.

The roots of this injustice are structural and violent: township and rural schools deliberately left underdeveloped, classrooms overcrowded beyond learning capacity, budgets that starve black education while protecting privilege, and admissions systems designed to appear administratively neutral while actively marginalising the children of workers and the poor. This is how inequality is institutionalised. This is how dispossession continues under democratic language.

We say this without apology: the ANC–DA governance arrangement is central to this disaster. It is a political pact that manages inequality instead of dismantling it, that preserves elite comfort while black children are turned away at school gates. This arrangement has collapsed the social mandate of the state and replaced it with crisis management and blame-shifting.

The situation in Gauteng, particularly in Ekurhuleni, is nothing short of criminal. For learners to be expected to return to schools without electricity is an open declaration that black children’s futures are disposable. It is an insult to dignity, a sabotage of learning, and a betrayal of constitutional obligations.

We therefore demand immediate, decisive action. EMPD and all relevant authorities must restore electricity to all public schools without delay. More than that, the state must guarantee placement for South African children as a first principle, not a negotiable outcome.

We reject this crisis, we reject the political choices that produced it, and we condemn, in the harshest terms, a system that sacrifices South African children while those in power remain insulated from consequence.

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The event details are as follows:

Date: Monday 2 February & Tuesday 3 February 2026

Venue: Baphiring Tribal Offices & Sports Grounds, Mabaalstad,NW Province.

Time: 08h00 – 14h00 daily

Expected attendees: Approximately 4000 learners from the 8 rural High Schools in Dinaledi Circuit which falls within 5 villages/ Tribal Authorities within Moses Kotane Local Municipality, Bojanala Platinum District, North-West Province, RSA.

The purpose of the career expo:

Promoting a holistic, psychosocial approach towards education, as well as career & personal development.

Exposing learners & attendees to available opportunities in terms of possible economic activities, mainly: education, employability & entrepreneurship.

Addressing challenges faced by learners from marginalized, disadvantaged backgrounds, such as limited access to information about innovative careers and access to funding (scholarships & bursaries).

Goals & objectives of the career expo:

Exposing the learners to professions & industries: Commerce, STEM, Medical Sciences, Arts, Humanities etc.

Offering the learners career guidance & future planning skills.

Encouraging networking and collaboration between the learners and potential institutions, mentors & employers.

Promoting skills development & future proofing a commitment to life-long learning as well as career & personal development.

Providing Motivation and psychosocial support for the learners.

The previous event done by The Princess & Friends NPC (previously called HRH Princess Lerato M Foundation), was a successful mental health workshop for learners which took place in August 2022. This was a 2-day event which was attended by approximately 1400 learners.

A bigger crowd of approximately 4000 learners is expected this time.

Event partners & sponsors include: The Department of Education, North West University, African Women Chartered Accountants, South African Royal Princesses Network, BMW Rustenburg and many others…

Expected attendees include: Royal leaders, Government leaders, Universities & FET Colleges, private companies & potential employers and other stakeholders, all coming on board to ensure the success of the event.

Speaking on the vision behind the career expo, the organisers highlighted that the initiative is rooted in the belief that rural learners deserve the same access to information and opportunities as their urban counterparts and that they deserve to know that their dreams are just as valid.

“The expo is about dignity, access and preparing rural youth for a rapidly changing world of work,” stated the organisers. “It is not just a career expo – it is an investment in the future of our communities.”

Bokamoso PR&Media, as a supporting media partner, is committed to amplifying initiatives that drive education, youth development, and inclusive economic participation across South Africa.

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