A Tsakane student, Zanele Myeni, has opened her home to parents struggling to navigate Gauteng’s online school admissions system, offering her laptop and Wi-Fi free of charge, according to a report published by AllAfrica on 25 August 2026. The story highlights a persistent digital divide that affects parents across South Africa, including in the Western Cape, where online admissions are also the primary route for securing school placements.
The AllAfrica report, which remains a single-source account not yet independently verified by CapeFlats.co.za, describes Myeni assisting parents in Tsakane, Ekurhuleni, with applying for Grade 1 and Grade 8 placements through the Gauteng Department of Education’s online portal. The scale of her effort, the number of parents helped, and how long she has been providing the service are not specified in the available source material. CapeFlats.co.za has not yet confirmed the details through a second independent source, ward councillor, school, or community organisation.
Gauteng’s admissions system allows parents to apply to up to five schools per learner using criteria such as home address, work address, and sibling enrolment, according to the provincial admissions website. The Gauteng Department of Education, quoted by SAnews, directs parents to use Google Chrome for faster access: “Parents must visit www.gdeadmissions.gov.za to apply.” More than 600,000 Grade 1 and 8 online applications were recorded in Gauteng, AllAfrica reported on 6 August 2025.
The Western Cape faces similar challenges. The Western Cape Education Department runs its own online admissions window for the 2026 cycle, with parents required to register and apply through the provincial portal during the published period. The Department of Basic Education says parents may register children who are due to start school the following year between April and October, applying near their home or workplace.
For parents on the Cape Flats, where data costs and device access remain barriers, community-driven assistance like that described in Tsakane mirrors informal support networks that emerge each admissions season. Community centres, libraries, and schools often become de facto application hubs, though no specific Cape Town equivalent to Myeni’s initiative has been confirmed for the current cycle.
The Limpopo Department of Education’s admissions portal outlines a similar process: “You can apply online by registering on the admissions portal, creating your profile, and selecting your preferred schools.” The shift to online systems across provinces has streamlined applications but has also exposed gaps in digital literacy and connectivity, particularly in lower-income communities.
CapeFlats.co.za is seeking independent verification of the Tsakane story and will check whether comparable community-led admissions assistance has been documented in Cape Town suburbs for the 2026 cycle. An update is expected once a second source or on-the-ground confirmation is obtained.