At least 5,900 early childhood development (ECD) programmes in Gauteng remain unregistered amid challenges related to zoning, food safety, fire safety, and infrastructure requirements that informal centres struggle to meet. Gauteng Education MEC Lebohang Maile confirmed the figure on 30 September 2026, highlighting that many centres operate in informal settlements where compliance with registration rules is difficult.
“We have about 5,900 unregistered ECD programmes on the department’s database after they were called on to come forward and register,” Maile said. “The requirements can include issues such as zoning, food safety, fire safety and the condition of the building.” The three-stage registration process involves application, municipal inspection, and compliance checks under the Children’s Act by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
Nationally, the DBE estimates that over half of ECD programmes remain unregistered, with more than 20,000 centres operating outside formal oversight. This figure echoes academic research published in the South African Journal of Childhood Education, which found that only 16% of centres were undergoing formal registration while 43% were unregistered nationwide.
Studies identify several barriers to registration. Centres in low-income and informal areas often cannot meet environmental health and safety norms or municipal standards. Other common challenges pointed out include the lack of bank accounts, absence of separate classroom spaces, and insufficient staffing. According to policy reports, these hurdles make securing even partial care registration nearly impossible for many informal programmes.
In response, the DBE launched the Bana Pele ECD Mass Registration Drive in June 2026 to simplify access to registration and child subsidies. Gauteng alone has received over 3,000 applications, registering 800 centres within five months, while 1,479 applications remain under review. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said the drive aims not only to register centres but also to enable them to access government child subsidies.
“The process is designed to recognise the different circumstances in which ECD programmes operate, while helping them meet legal requirements,” Gwarube stated. “Our obsession is to try to make sure that we’re not just registering now, we are registering so that we can access the child subsidy.”
However, experts warn that the registration challenges are structural and tied to the socioeconomic realities of informal settlements and low-income communities rather than purely administrative. Infrastructural deficits and legal requirements that do not align with informal living conditions continue to restrict formalisation efforts. While the Bana Pele drive marks progress, the rate of registration remains slow compared to the number of centres still operating informally.
The transfer of Gauteng’s ECD function to the Department of Basic Education in April 2022 was meant to strengthen oversight and support, but recent data shows that thousands of informal centres remain outside the formal framework. This leaves young children potentially vulnerable and restricts the centres’ access to state subsidies and quality assurance mechanisms.
Further updates on the impact of the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive and government interventions in Gauteng’s informal settlements are expected as the DBE continues its review of applications and outreach efforts.