DA accuses Randburg school of misconduct while GDE says only one complaint led to sanction

Key allegations and the department’s stance

The DA’s Gauteng shadow MEC for education, Sergio Isa Dos Santos, told the media the party had received reports of multiple forms of misconduct at the school in Randburg. The DA’s list of concerns includes alleged financial irregularities, the sale of posts, extortion and intimidation involving the school principal and the School Governing Body (SGB).

The Gauteng Department of Education, through spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana, said the department has not received formal complaints on the specific allegations of selling posts and intimidation and therefore has not launched a departmental investigation into those claims.

“The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) can confirm that the allegation relating to the demand for approximately R5 000 has been investigated and an internal disciplinary process concluded, and the principal was sanctioned accordingly,”

“However, no formal complaints on the allegation of selling of posts and intimidation have been reported to the department. Once reported, the department will determine the cause of action.”

What has been investigated so far

The department has confirmed that one specific allegationan alleged demand for roughly R5,000was investigated and led to an internal disciplinary procedure that concluded with a sanction against the principal. The GDE did not provide details of the sanction.

Aside from that matter, Lubhelwana said there have been no formal complaints lodged with the department about the alleged selling of posts or intimidation, and the GDE will act once formal complaints are received.

DA calls for an independent probe and asks questions

Dos Santos has called on Education MEC Lebogang Maile to commission an independent investigation into the broader allegations at the school. The DA said it will submit questions to Maile to establish the history of the matter and to determine whether the department’s handling of the case aligns with documentary evidence the party says it obtained.

Dos Santos also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the principal’s prior dismissal and subsequent reinstatement by the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), saying the principal was reinstated after the GDE allegedly failed to submit required documentation within the prescribed timeframe.

Teacher availability and absenteeism: competing accounts

The DA said it had received reports that the school was experiencing staff instability, including claims that 10 educators had left the school and that between four and five teachers were absent daily. The party also alleged Grade 5 Afrikaans classes had been combined because of a shortage of qualified educators and that learners were being taught by unqualified staff.

The GDE disputed those claims. Lubhelwana said that although seven SGB and two GDE employees resigned since September 2025 after accepting better offers, the vacated posts had been filled and “there is no teacher shortage at the said school.” The department also said it has carried out “numerous academic and leadership monitoring and support visits.”

Efforts to stabilise relations at the school

According to the department, district officials have been assigned to mediate between the SGB and the principal in an effort to resolve differences and improve working relations. The GDE described its intervention at the school as including ongoing monitoring, support, and mediation between the school’s governing structures and management.

How complaints and investigations typically proceed (context)

In education systems, formal complaints usually trigger administrative or disciplinary processes. Internal inquiries or disciplinary panels can follow specific allegations raised in complaints, while independent investigations are sometimes commissioned when parties or elected representatives request them. Where a formal complaint is absent, departments often say they cannot open a full investigation or take formal disciplinary action until allegations are lodged through the prescribed channels.

Why this matters for learners and the school community

Allegations of extortion, the sale of posts and intimidation raise questions about governance and the integrity of hiring and contractual processes. Claims of educator departures and daily absenteeism, if accurate, can disrupt teaching continuity and curriculum coverage, affecting learners’ classroom experience and school outcomes.

Both the DA and the department frame the matter in terms of accountability. The DA is pressing for an independent probe and for clarity on how past decisions were handled, while the GDE points to its internal disciplinary outcome in the R5,000 matter and to ongoing monitoring and mediation efforts.

What to watch next

• Whether the DA submits its questions to MEC Lebogang Maile and whether the GDE provides further documentary evidence or explanation about the principal’s reinstatement.
• Whether formal complaints about the alleged sale of posts or intimidation are lodged with the department, which the GDE says would determine the next course of action.
• Any follow-up from the department on the outcome of mediation efforts and additional monitoring visits at the school.