eThekwini threatens to cut water, electricity to Durban schools over disputed and unpaid bills

By Thapelo Molefe

An estimated 10,000 learners across at least 17 public schools in Phoenix, north of Durban, are facing disruptions to their education as the eThekwini Municipality threatens to disconnect electricity and water services over unpaid bills, Inside Education has learned.

According to several well-placed sources, municipal workers have already visited schools armed with bolt cutters and tools, issuing disconnection notices and, in some cases, attempting to cut power lines on the spot, only backing down after desperate pleas from school principals.

Schools claim the municipal bills are inflated due to damaged or missing meters that were never replaced, despite communication with authorities. One school reportedly owes over R1 million.

Phoenix Pioneer Primary School has already been disconnected. Sources in the area said that the “crisis” is impacting critical services including the National School Nutrition Programme, with no refrigeration available for perishable food. 

Learners who depend on insulin for diabetes can no longer safely store their medication, and classrooms operate without ventilation during sweltering heat.

“There’s no telephone lines, no faxing, no printing, no internet,” an official from Phoenix Pioneer told Inside Education on Monday. The person asked not to be named, fearing repercussions.

“The situation is not being spoken about. Society is being desensitised to injustice.”

Mahathma Primary School principal Kishin Singh confirmed that while his school has not yet been disconnected, he received notices last week Wednesday and Thursday of intentions to do so. 

“I was visited by the electricity department who issued me a notice to cut electricity. [The person with the notice] carried tools to cut the wires,” Singh said. 

“I pleaded with him and explained my difficulties and I asked him to leave. My fear is that I will be visited by eThekwini in the near future and be disconnected.”

Sources said that the disconnections would affect at least 10 000 learners, if enforced.

IFP Councillor Jonathan Annipen, whose constituency is Phoenix-based, has lodging a formal complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).

In his complaint, Annipen said the actions violate Section 29(1)(a) of the Constitution, which guarantees every child the right to basic education.

Annipen said in his submission that even if the municipality followed proper debt-collection procedures, the disconnections represent “a direct limitation” of children’s constitutional rights and breach cooperative governance principles.

The crisis comes as KwaZulu-Natal celebrated ranking first nationally in the 2025 matric examinations, an achievement the IFP says is now being undermined.

The municipality had not responded to questions from Inside Education at the time of publication. Its response will be added once received.

INSIDE EDUCATION