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According to government authorities, this is to take pressure off the "strained" healthcare system.
According to a report by Times LIVE, Basic Education Deputy Minister Dr Makgabo Mhaule announced that the reopening of both public and private schools has been postponed by at least two weeks. Mhaule said this was due to the "strained" healthcare system amid the second wave of Covid-19 infections.
The official opposition party, the DA, has aired some concerns regarding this announcement, according to a report by SABC News. They said that it could have an "impact on the psychological and academic development of learners. The year was already set to start quite late and a further delay could cost learners dearly, with no plan to recover the lost time in learning." The DA added that instead of halting schooling for two weeks, the Department should have better equipped them with proper resources to keep learners and teachers safe.
Parents have had different reactions to this announcement. Some are happy that their children will be safe, others are frustrated: they feel that they have "run out of ways to entertain them", especially the little ones in elementary and primary school, and that they do not have much time to home-school their children, as many work full-time.