The unfolding financial scandal at Ulwazi High School in Mdantsane exposes a shocking abuse of public money that has robbed learners of both dignity and opportunity. An investigation has revealed that over R1 million intended for school nutrition, learning materials, and maintenance was allegedly spent on luxury meals, alcohol, fuel, and unexplained cash withdrawals.
Ulwazi High is a no-fee school serving 1,200 learners. Yet while children are fed plain samp without fruit and often receive only one meal a day, the school principal and individuals linked to the School Governing Body allegedly treated the school account as a private cash machine.
According to financial records seen by the Democratic Alliance, more than R250 000 was spent at upmarket restaurants, including Grazia Fine Food & Wine and La Grato. A further R450 000 was withdrawn from ATMs, and R226 000 in cash back from tills at grocery stores.
Payments were made to fast food franchises, liquor outlets, lounges, and car washes using a bank card linked to the school account. This is a violation of Sections 37 and 38 of the South African Schools Act, which require full documentation and approval of school expenditure, as well as the Eastern Cape Education Department’s financial policies regulating school funds.
Learners interviewed have confirmed that they do not receive the full nutrition programme meals listed on the official menu. Many report receiving only one meal a day instead of two, with fruit rarely provided despite being supplied and budgeted for through the National School Nutrition Programme. Service providers are now owed over R375 000 in unpaid invoices, plunging the school nutrition programme into debt.
These findings are aggravated by the fact that some members of the School Governing Body reportedly benefited from food, fuel, and cash in direct contravention of the Schools Act, which clearly states that governing body members may not be remunerated.
The Eastern Cape Department of Education suspended the principal, Mihlali Makhalima, only after public pressure. The use of school funds for liquor purchases and “tokens of appreciation” exposes serious governance failures and potential criminality.
This is not an isolated case. Just weeks ago, the DA exposed similar governance collapse and suspected financial irregularities at Ebhotwe Primary School in Mdantsane. There, learners were found using bushes as toilets due to broken sanitation while school funds vanished without accountability.
The Democratic Alliance will table a motion in the Legislature to demand:
- A full independent forensic audit of Ulwazi High School, including the school nutrition programme
- Criminal referrals for all implicated individuals under the Public Finance Management Act and Treasury regulations
- Recovery of stolen funds through civil claims where necessary
- Lifestyle audits of implicated school and district officials
- A province-wide audit of high-risk schools beginning in Buffalo City
Public education funds belong in classrooms, not in restaurants and liquor stores. The money that feeds children cannot be used to fund luxury lifestyles.
If the provincial government fails to act decisively, it will be complicit in the ongoing theft from the poorest children in this province.
The Eastern Cape’s children deserve protection from corruption and honest leadership that puts their future first.