Addington Primary enrolment: 63% of pupils are South African, department reveals

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has firmly rejected allegations that local learners were excluded from Addington Primary School in favour of foreign national children, insisting that the school’s admissions process complied with constitutional and legal requirements.

The department’s response follows renewed unrest at Addington Primary School, where members of the March and March movement and Operation Dudula staged a protest on Wednesday over the enrolment of learners born to foreign parents.

Demonstrators gathered outside the school chanting slogans and holding placards, prompting a strong police presence. South African Police Service officers were deployed to secure the premises as tensions escalated.

In a media statement issued on Wednesday, the department confirmed that admissions, placements and transfers for the 2026 academic year had been “successfully concluded across the province,” emphasising that no learner had been denied access to schooling.

“We can confirm that all learners in KwaZulu-Natal have been admitted, placed and transferred in accordance with their democratic right to education,” the department stated.

The clarification directly addressed claims that Addington Primary had prioritised undocumented foreign learners over South African children. According to the department, these allegations were unfounded and not supported by evidence.

“The department can confirm, without ambiguity, that these allegations are neither factual nor accurate,” the statement said.

An evidence-based review of enrolment records found that the majority (63%) of learners at Addington Primary are South African, the department said.

The department further confirmed that only a “very small number of learners, both South African and foreign nationals, are without the required documentation,” and that these cases are being handled “in line with applicable legislation and departmental prescripts.”

Documentation has been a central issue in the dispute.

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, which welcomed the department’s intervention, released verified enrolment figures showing that the school has a total of 1,582 learners. Of these, 580 are foreign nationals “in possession of valid documentation,” while 12 undocumented learners are South African citizens and five are undocumented foreign nationals.

“These figures clearly demonstrate that South African learners constitute the majority of enrolments at the school,” the ANC stated.

The Department also raised concern about the impact of the protests on learners, noting that demonstrations at the school gates resulted in “a traumatic experience for learners” which required intervention by the Special Needs Education Services Directorate to provide psychosocial support.

Following a verification process, Addington Primary accommodated additional learners from the March and March list in spaces created by learners who did not ultimately present themselves at the school and opted to attend other schools.

The school has since reached full capacity, and all remaining learners were placed at neighbouring schools, including Clayton Primary, Collegevale Primary, Greyville Primary and St. Anthony’s Primary School.

The department further noted that “the majority of learners on the March and March list had not selected Addington Primary School as their preferred school of choice” adding that the inclusion of learners of foreign nationality on the list “clearly dispels the misconception that the group seeks the removal of foreign nationals from public schools”.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Education Sipho Hlomuka reaffirmed the department’s statutory obligations, stating: “The Department is pleased to confirm that all learners have been successfully admitted into schools, in line with the legal mandate of the Department of Education.”

Both the department and the ANC appealed for calm and restraint, warning against inflammatory rhetoric that undermines social cohesion. The ANC strongly condemned “reckless and inflammatory utterances,” including threats of violence, and reiterated its commitment to non-racialism, social cohesion and human dignity.

The department concluded by emphasising that schools must remain protected spaces, urging communities to resolve disputes through dialogue to ensure “safe havens that promote dignity, inclusivity and effective teaching and learning for all.”

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