Save Our Schools tackles Gauteng water crisis head-on

Ivory Park, a sprawling settlement on the outskirts of Midrand, has been plagued by relentless water supply disruptions, like many other low-income communities in Gauteng. In the past three months alone, the community’s schools have endured a staggering 40 days without water. Each day the taps run dry, the doors of education close and the fragile rhythm of learning and dignity is shattered.

Read more: Gauteng parents speak out on frequent school closures as water outages disrupt learning

When the water stops flowing, the impact is immediate and devastating. 

“Schools have had to send children home repeatedly, unable to provide the basic sanitation or meals that keep learners safe and nourished,” said Shelley Humphreys, CEO of Save Our Schools NPO. 

“Forty days without water in just three months, imagine the toll that takes. Children miss their daily school meals, wander the streets hungry, and parents, struggling to make ends meet, often cannot be there to care for them. Teachers are left in an impossible position, never knowing if tomorrow’s school day will happen.”

It is in this fractured reality that Save Our Schools steps in, fighting to keep the gates open, pouring hope and practical solutions into communities teetering on the brink of educational collapse.

Keeping schools afloat

Founded during Cape Town’s 2017 Day Zero crisis, Save Our Schools sprang to life with a mission to protect education in communities hardest hit by water scarcity.

Humphreys describes their work as focused on water access and sanitation hygiene, mainly in informal communities and schools, the quintile one and two schools that are most vulnerable and underserved.

“Our main aim is to ensure that schools have a consistent water supply so they never have to shut their doors, but it’s not enough to simply have running water. We also upgrade sanitation facilities, making sure toilets and handwashing stations are safe and functional for learners,” she emphasised.

Plus, education is a vital part of their work. 

“We teach about hand washing, menstruation, and the different types of water, because not all clean-looking water is safe to drink. That knowledge is crucial, it protects health and empowers communities,” she said. 

Gauteng is grappling with an escalating water crisis marked by ageing infrastructure, poor maintenance and overwhelming demand. Across the province, water interruptions have become frequent and prolonged, plunging communities into uncertainty.

Schools, particularly those serving vulnerable populations in informal settlements, have been hit hardest. When water supply falters, classrooms are left without sanitation, clean drinking water, or even the means to prepare school meals. These disruptions are not only threatening the health and dignity of learners, but are forcing schools to shut their doors for days and weeks at a time, derailing education and deepening inequalities.

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“It’s terrible at the moment. The root causes are clear: a lack of maintenance coupled with an overwhelming number of water connections means municipalities simply cannot keep water flowing consistently to many schools,” said Humphreys. 

She points to communities such as Ivory Park and Ebony Park, where schools have had no water.

“These closures have devastating effects. Children are sent home early, missing out on both their education and their daily school meals. Many of these learners rely on the school nutrition programme as their primary source of nourishment. Now, they wander the streets hungry. And with parents often working long or multiple jobs, many children come home to empty houses,” she said.

For teachers, the crisis yields daily uncertainty and frustration. 

“Every morning, educators arrive unsure if they’ll be able to teach or if they’ll have to send their learners home again. Planning lessons becomes nearly impossible. The curriculum, which is already overwhelming in overcrowded classrooms, suffers with every day lost,” she said. 

“It’s chaos. Children love school; it’s their consistent routine, their safe space and community. When water cuts occur, that foundation crumbles”. 

No more early closures

Yet amid the adversity that has gripped Ivory Park’s schools, Save Our Schools has sparked hope and transformation. According to Humphreys, the NPO managed to take Ivory Park Primary School off the unreliable municipal water grid by restoring a long-dormant borehole and installing a new pump system to supply consistent water. Alongside this, Save Our Schools has established a dignity hub, a safe, clean sanitation space, and planted food gardens to nourish learners and foster sustainability.

“Ivory Park Primary School now boasts a brand-new sanitation area with 12 non-sewered toilets, six for boys and six for girls, each equipped with handwashing facilities,” Humphreys explained. “We constructed protective walls around the area, transforming what was once an open rubbish dump into a secure and dignified space for children.”

The school’s principal, Poppy Ngwenya, expressed profound gratitude for these improvements: “In the coming weeks, our learners will no longer have to go home early or miss school because there is no water. This changes everything for us.”

 Calls for political will 

As water cuts continue to plague Gauteng schools, Save Our Schools is actively promoting adaptive strategies to help schools manage prolonged interruptions. Humphreys explains: “We encourage rainwater harvesting by installing large tanks that can collect and store water runoff. Schools can then use this grey water to flush toilets and maintain basic sanitation, even when municipal water supply falters.”

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Despite these efforts, the biggest challenge remains access to safe drinking water. “Some schools are trying to cope by asking learners to bring their own bottles of drinking water, but this is not a sustainable solution,” she cautions. 

“Drinking water is expensive and often inconsistent. Many families simply cannot afford to provide extra water for their children. When municipal drinking water is unavailable, schools have no choice but to close – this is especially devastating as exams approach. The safety rules are clear: no water, no school.”

Humphreys underscores that these stopgap measures cannot replace the need for political commitment and systemic reforms.

“The Department of Water and Sanitation is moving towards decentralised sanitation models, recognising that the large, centralised wastewater treatment plants are failing to keep up. But water shortages will continue unless there is genuine investment and political will to address the root causes.” DM