The 653 registered pupils of Umkhumbane Junior Secondary School in Soshanguve have spent three years learning in nine mobile classrooms at Ruabohlale Secondary School, 3.8 km away, while their designated school site remains vacant land, according to a Sowetan investigation published on 7 September 2026.
Pupils began boycotting classes on 31 August, eight days before the report, demanding action from the Gauteng Department of Education.
One Grade 10 learner told Sowetan: “It has been three years as a learner at Umkhumbane, and for the last three years we were told we would have our own school but still nothing.”
A parent added: “Our children are tired now; they feel like they are on lockdown at the Ruabohlale premises. That is why they are not going to school… to get the department to act, and we are in support of them.”
The department’s spokesperson, Onwabile Lubhelwana, said in a statement first reported by Headtopics on 11 September that mobile classrooms at Ruabohlale were an interim measure because the Umkhumbane site at Soshanguve South Extension 10 was not ready.
“The arrangement was intended to ensure pupils continued attending school and were taught by qualified teachers, rather than staying at home,” Lubhelwana said.
Lubhelwana confirmed that the department expects to complete construction before the December 2026 builders’ shutdown, with occupation targeted for January 2027. Contractors are currently being appointed to finish the outstanding work.
The Sowetan report also detailed that Grade 10 pupils attend daily, while Grades 8 and 9 alternate days, and a staff room occupies one mobile unit. A parent claimed after a meeting on 9 September that officials gave an end-of-November deadline, but the department maintains January 2027 as the official target.
CapeFlats.co.za has not independently verified the claims made by parents or the exact timelines. This article is based on reports by Sowetan and Headtopics; we have reached out to the Gauteng education department for direct confirmation.
It remains unclear whether the department’s January 2027 deadline will be met, given a history of stalled Gauteng school projects and repeated unmet promises. We will update this story when we receive a formal response from Lubhelwana’s office.