More parents commit address fraud to get kids into preferred schools
Parents continue to go to extreme lengths to get their children into their preferred public schools.
The Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (Fedsas) has revealed a massive trend of parents submitting fake home addresses to secure spots at former Model C schools.
According to News24, in one specific case in Dundee, northern KwaZulu-Natal, roughly 150 parents all claimed to live at the exact same residential address to get their children into a specific school for 2025.
This was not a once-off either, as many others used that same street address for 2026 applications.
The growing trend of address fraud
New data from TPN Credit Bureau highlights that this is a growing national problem.
Schools are now dealing with high-tech cheating, from digitally altered utility bills to fake lease agreements.
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Ashleigh Laurent and Marissa Badenhorst, legal counsel at TPN Credit Bureau, explained the situation: “Schools increasingly report ‘doctored’ municipal bills, generic proof of residence letters issued without verification, and fabricated lease agreements. Some applicants digitally alter official utility statements.”
Research by TPN, which assists schools with credit checks and fee collection, found that 40% of applications at one school featured misleading addresses. At another school, 20% of Grade 1 applications were fraudulent.
Door-to-door checks at one institution found that 51% of applicants did not actually live where they claimed to.
Why the address matters
This is not just about paperwork. It is about the "feeder zone" policy. These zones prioritise children who live near the school, have siblings already enrolled, or have parents working in the area.
While the Gauteng Department of Education defines these zones as specific geographical areas for admissions, the pressure on the system is real. Just this week, the province placed the final 484 unplaced Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils, mostly from Tembisa and Kempton Park, into schools.
Parents taking these risks should know the law has changed. Under the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, which came into effect on 24 December 2024, submitting false information can lead to a fine or even a year behind bars.
The law also protects children’s right to learn. Laurent and Badenhorst noted: “Public schools may not discriminate unfairly on grounds such as race, language, religion, citizenship or financial status. The Constitution guarantees every child the right to basic education, including undocumented learners. Entrance exams and arbitrary admission conditions are prohibited.”
Schools are fighting back
To keep things fair, schools are now doubling down on verification, including home visits and database checks.
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“These checks are fundamental to ensuring fairness where demand exceeds capacity,” say Laurent and Badenhorst.
The real victims are often the local children who lose their spots to out-of-area applicants. Some children end up spending hours in traffic just to reach a school far from home. As one school administrator noted, some parents would rather have their child travel for hours each day than allow a local pupil their lawful place.
What should parents do?
If you feel an admission decision was unfair, the advice is to stick to the legal channels rather than faking a lease.
“Where families genuinely relocate after an offer is made, transparency is essential. Informing the school of a change of address is far safer than attempting to conceal it. Cooperation with verification measures, including home visits, helps avoid disputes later,” suggest Laurent and Badenhorst.
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Fedsas CEO Jaco Deacon confirmed that this is a headache for schools across all nine provinces, particularly at "schools of choice".
“Feedback from schools across several provinces indicates that fraudulent or misleading address information has become an increasing challenge in the admissions process,” says Deacon.
He warns that when parents cheat the system, the community loses out: “Where demand for places exceeds available capacity, some parents attempt to secure admission by claiming residence within the feeder zone when this is not the case. This creates a situation where learners who genuinely live within the feeder area may lose places to applicants who submitted false information.”
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