The owners of the schools have been informed of their illegal operations and have been instructed to inform parents of learners and educators about the closure. Learners who have already been registered with the schoools will be transferred to other nearby schools.

The schools used to operate as D.D. Dliwayo -- named after a struggle veteran, Daniel Donald --and after the GDoE ordered them to close down late last year, they resurfaced under a new name --Vine Foundation Phase and Senior Primary School and continued operating from the same premises.

The GDoE say parents whose children are registered with the schools should contact the district offices to facilitate the placement of their children in public schools. District offices have also been ordered to help with the placement of learners into the surrounding schools. The Protea Glen illegal school has 175 learners and the Vosloorus illegal school has 205 learners.

The GDoE advised parents to exercise vigilance and check the registration status of the schools before they register their children. "No school may operate until it is registered, and there is no provision in (the) law for a school to operate pending registration. Parents who continue sending their children to illegal schools run the risk of their children getting poor quality education, wasting the time of their children or losing their school fees."

The GDoE appealed to parents to verify the legal status of schools before registering their children or paying school fees by calling: 011 355 0026.