Schools in certain areas of the Eden and Central Karoo Education District will be closed on Wednesday, 6 May 2026, and Thursday, 7 May 2026

5 May 2026 – Statement by Minister David Maynier, Minister of Education Western Cape

In the interests of learner and teacher safety, and after extensive consultation with the Provincial Disaster Management Centre and the South African Weather Service (SAWS), a decision has been taken to close schools in certain areas of the Eden and Central Karoo Education District on Wednesday, 6 May 2026, and Thursday, 7 May 2026. 

All public ordinary and special needs schools in the following specific circuits will be closed on Wednesday, 6 May 2026, and Thursday, 7 May 2026, due to the severe rainfall warnings in these areas:

• Circuits 3 and 8 (George)
• Circuit 4 (Knysna)
• Circuits 5 and 6 (Oudtshoorn)

(List of schools available below)

The affected schools have received official notice of the closure from the Head of Department, and have been requested to communicate the closures to parents.  

All other schools in the Western Cape will be open unless approval has been granted for closure, which will be done on a case-by-case basis. 

Our default position is always to keep schools open and only close schools in exceptional circumstances, but we are mindful of the severity of the warnings in place. 

We will continuously monitor and evaluate the situation to ensure that schools can reopen as soon as possible. 

 All schools are expected to open on Friday, 8 May 2026. We will, however, evaluate the weather prediction for the end of the week to determine whether any individual school closures are necessary for the remainder of the week.

List of schools for closure in ECKD 6 and 7 May 2026