The Legal Battle for Equal School Infrastructure in South Africa

Nearly 20 years after apartheid, some South African state schools still lack basic resources such as classrooms, desks, toilets, and electricity, while others have libraries, playing fields, swimming pools, and science laboratories.

Equal Education’s campaign for clearly articulated infrastructure standards has built massive public support. When negotiations with the minister of basic education broke down, Equal Education instituted litigation.

After almost a year, the case was settled out of court three days before the hearing was scheduled to take place. In what was widely celebrated as a victory for the campaign, the minister conceded to the demands of the applicants and promised to adopt minimum norms and standards for school infrastructure, as required by the South African Schools Act. Months later, however, the minister released draft regulations that fell far short of requirements.

At a recent talk, Dmitri Holtzman, executive director of the Equal Education Law Center, discussed the short-lived victory. Listen above.