Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube told the Cape Town Press Club on 14 September 2026 that better school infrastructure is essential to improving the quality of education and that provinces must direct their annual R16 billion allocation towards clearing a backlog separate media reports place between R120 billion and R140 billion. She said the national SAFE initiative had been concluded, but warned that unsafe sanitation at schools has not been eradicated.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the press club briefing, Gwarube said provinces have about R16 billion in annual infrastructure budgets and that these funds must be treated as a priority, according to SABC News. She said completing the SAFE initiative did not mean the issue of unsafe sanitation in the country is dealt with.<\/p>\n
\u201cProvinces have R16 billion in the kitty for infrastructure. Those things must be a priority.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Backlog Estimates And Migration Pressures<\/h2>\n
In an interview published by GroundUp on 15 September 2026, Gwarube placed the national school infrastructure backlog at R140 billion. A separate Sowetan report from 1 September 2026 cited a shortfall of about R120 billion for classrooms and sanitation, showing differing estimates of urgent need.<\/p>\n
Infrastructure delivery remains a provincial responsibility, while the national department sets policy and supports provinces through strategies such as Strong Foundations, Strong Futures. Gwarube has called for private sector partnerships to supplement the R16 billion annual provincial allocation and warned that schools cannot be built without demand data.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t just blindly build anywhere. We just simply don\u2019t have the luxury to do that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Migration from rural to urban areas is reshaping enrolment and must inform infrastructure planning, according to the GroundUp report. Gwarube has indicated that the work on sanitation and classroom construction must continue through provincial budgets, with provinces expected to align spending to clear the backlog.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Siviwe Gwarube says provinces must prioritise R16 billion annual infrastructure funds as reports place school backlog between R120bn and R140bn.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1015,1017,1016,967,1014,174],"class_list":["post-1125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sa-news","tag-basic-education","tag-education-infrastructure-grant","tag-safe-initiative","tag-school-infrastructure","tag-siviwe-gwarube","tag-south-africa"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Gwarube urges provinces to prioritise R16bn school infrastructure funding - MK Party<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gwarube urges provinces to prioritise R16bn school infrastructure funding\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Siviwe Gwarube says provinces must prioritise R16 billion annual infrastructure funds as reports place school backlog between R120bn and R140bn.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MK Party\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-15T05:00:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Siphiwe Khaya\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Siphiwe Khaya\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Siphiwe Khaya\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9f56905371434eb29146240baa3cb283\"},\"headline\":\"Gwarube urges provinces to prioritise R16bn school infrastructure funding\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-15T05:00:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-15T05:00:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/\"},\"wordCount\":306,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"basic education\",\"Education Infrastructure Grant\",\"SAFE Initiative\",\"school infrastructure\",\"Siviwe Gwarube\",\"South Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"SA News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"zu\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/\",\"name\":\"Gwarube urges provinces to prioritise R16bn school infrastructure funding - MK Party\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-15T05:00:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-15T05:00:20+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"zu\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gwarube urges provinces to prioritise R16bn school infrastructure funding\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/\",\"name\":\"MK Party\",\"description\":\"uMkhonto weSizwe Party\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"zu\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MK Party\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"zu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"MK Party\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9f56905371434eb29146240baa3cb283\",\"name\":\"Siphiwe Khaya\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"zu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/siphiwe-khaya-146x146.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/siphiwe-khaya-146x146.webp\",\"caption\":\"Siphiwe Khaya\"},\"description\":\"Siphiwe Khaya, a South African journalist and freelancer, holds a distinguished degree in journalism, grounding him in both the theory and practice of effective storytelling and reporting. His educational background, enriched by comprehensive journalistic courses, has equipped him with the skills to navigate the complex media landscape with integrity and insight. As a writer, Siphiwe's work spans various platforms and topics, showcasing his adaptability and commitment to journalistic excellence.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/author\/simphiwe\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gwarube urges provinces to prioritise R16bn school infrastructure funding - MK Party","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gwarube urges provinces to prioritise R16bn school infrastructure funding","og_description":"Siviwe Gwarube says provinces must prioritise R16 billion annual infrastructure funds as reports place school backlog between R120bn and R140bn.","og_url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/","og_site_name":"MK Party","article_published_time":"2026-09-15T05:00:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Siphiwe Khaya","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Siphiwe Khaya","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/"},"author":{"name":"Siphiwe Khaya","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9f56905371434eb29146240baa3cb283"},"headline":"Gwarube urges provinces to prioritise R16bn school infrastructure funding","datePublished":"2026-09-15T05:00:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-15T05:00:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/"},"wordCount":306,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization"},"keywords":["basic education","Education Infrastructure Grant","SAFE Initiative","school infrastructure","Siviwe Gwarube","South Africa"],"articleSection":["SA News"],"inLanguage":"zu"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/","name":"Gwarube urges provinces to prioritise R16bn school infrastructure funding - MK Party","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-09-15T05:00:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-15T05:00:20+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"zu","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/gwarube-urges-provinces-to-prioritise-r16bn-school-infrastructure-funding\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gwarube urges provinces to prioritise R16bn school infrastructure funding"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/","name":"MK Party","description":"uMkhonto weSizwe Party","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"zu"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#organization","name":"MK Party","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"zu","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/uMkhonto-Wesizwe.png","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"MK Party"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9f56905371434eb29146240baa3cb283","name":"Siphiwe Khaya","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"zu","@id":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/siphiwe-khaya-146x146.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/siphiwe-khaya-146x146.webp","caption":"Siphiwe Khaya"},"description":"Siphiwe Khaya, a South African journalist and freelancer, holds a distinguished degree in journalism, grounding him in both the theory and practice of effective storytelling and reporting. His educational background, enriched by comprehensive journalistic courses, has equipped him with the skills to navigate the complex media landscape with integrity and insight. As a writer, Siphiwe's work spans various platforms and topics, showcasing his adaptability and commitment to journalistic excellence.","url":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/author\/simphiwe\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1125\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk-party.co.za\/zu_za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}