More than 20 schools across all four districts of the North West province were damaged when destructive winds tore through the region on 4 and 5 September 2026, destroying mobile classrooms and ripping off roofs. The North West Department of Education announced the damage on 7 September, with spokesperson Dr Elias Malindi confirming the toll was expected to rise once principals submitted additional reports on Monday, 8 September.
The confirmed damage spans schools in Ngaka Modiri Molema, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Bojanala, and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati districts, including Thuto ke Matla Secondary School in Groot Marico, Pudulogo Primary School in Ikageng, and SG Ntuane Primary School in Tlhatlhaganyane village. As first reported by TimesLive, IOL, and Jacaranda FM on 7 September, the wind damage struck while the department was already responding to three schools lost to fires.
“The damage to more than 20 schools was like adding salt to an open wound, as the department was already reeling from the pain of losing three schools to fires,” Dr Malindi said, speaking to IOL on 7 September.
MEC for Education Dr Desbo Mohono said the department’s priority was assessing the damage and ensuring the safety of learners and educators. “We are deeply concerned and saddened by the damage caused by these destructive winds,” Dr Mohono said, as reported by TimesLive.
The affected schools span communities from Noordwal Primary School in Orkney to Kokomeng Primary School in Kokomeng village near Taung, and from Laerskool Saamtrek in Klerksdorp to Nonceba Primary School in Welverdiend near Madikwe. Jacaranda FM reported that infrastructure teams would be dispatched on Monday to assess the damage and determine measures to avoid disrupting teaching and learning.
A COGTA media release, carried by EINPresswire on 7 September, separately reported that the weather system damaged homes and public facilities including clinics across multiple municipalities, with disaster management teams activated province-wide. However, specific COGTA claims about houses destroyed in Ratlou and Maquassi Hills could not be independently confirmed, and a discrepancy emerged between COGTA and the Education Department over the name of one Taung-area school.
The crisis underscores the vulnerability of South African school infrastructure to extreme weather, particularly in provinces where mobile classrooms are heavily relied upon to address overcrowding. Mobile classrooms, which are lighter structures than permanent buildings, proved particularly vulnerable to the high winds that swept across the province.
The full extent of damage remains unknown pending Monday’s assessments, with the department expecting the number of affected schools to increase as principals submit their reports. Cape Flats News journalist Liyabona Phakathi will next update this report once assessment results are confirmed, expected by close of business on 8 September 2026.