- A Khayelitsha mother says KwaMfundo Secondary School has held back her Grade 11 son’s report since March over R500. The school says it does not do this.
- The Western Cape Education Department says no school may hold back a report over unpaid fees. Parents who cannot pay can apply for a fee exemption or contact their district office.
A Khayelitsha mother says KwaMfundo Secondary School has not given her Grade 11 son his report since March because she owes R500.
The school says this is not true, and the Western Cape Education Department says no school may hold back a report over unpaid fees.
Sandisiwe Notyeka, a mother of two, said she has not received her son’s report since March 2026. She is unemployed and lives off piece jobs, and spends what she earns on food.
She said she does not know which subjects he is struggling with. “We are in the dark,” she said, and she wants the department to step in. She said many parents at the school are single parents doing all they can to keep their children in school.
Notyeka said she is sad that her son is the one suffering because she could not pay. She wishes principals would be more patient. She said she will work hard to find the money, but her first priority is food and school uniforms for her children.
Busisiwe Luganga, 40, said KwaMfundo is a no-fee school, but it calls fundraising money school fees and does not release reports. She said most parents depend on grants, and asked where she is supposed to find R500.
Yanga Mjingwana, chairperson of the school governing body, said it is not true that the school holds back reports. He said Notyeka has made an arrangement with the class teacher or the principal and will be helped. He said all parents who still owe money have received their children’s reports.
Mjingwana advised her to visit the school to make arrangements and collect her son’s report. He said the school has understood parents who came to explain they cannot pay. A parent who is not working must tell the school, he said.
Education Department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said schools cannot withhold a report over unpaid fees. She said KwaMfundo is a no-fee school, and fees only apply at fee-paying schools.
She said parents who struggle to pay should speak to their school so a reasonable payment plan can be worked out. Parents who cannot pay can apply for a fee exemption, and if a report is being held back, they can contact their district office, she said.
