As South African schools reopen, numerous children attend classes without complete uniforms due to unfinished lay-by payments at retailers like PEP and Ackermans. Parents cite rising costs and unemployment as key barriers, while experts warn of a deepening financial crisis for low-income families. Retailers report significant stock tied up in abandoned lay-bys, highlighting broader economic strains.
Schools across South Africa have resumed, but many pupils remain without essential items like uniforms, shoes, and stationery. Major retailers such as PEP and Ackermans are holding large volumes of back-to-school goods in unpaid lay-bys, a payment system that lets families spread costs interest-free. Managers at these stores, speaking anonymously, describe the situation as recurring but intensified this year.
A PEP manager noted that parents often deposit minimal amounts, like R100 or R200, just to secure basics such as books and pens. 'We still have a lot of clothes; we have a lot of lay-bys at the back. Not all parents can afford it,' she said. When lay-bys expire or are cancelled, deposits are refunded, but the items return to shelves, leaving families empty-handed.
Parents shared their struggles. Masihlangane Cici from Langa, Cape Town, who is unemployed, reused last year's clothes for her child at Moshesh Primary School. 'Uniforms are expensive... I opted to make my child wear last year’s clothes; I do not even feel well because my heart aches,' she explained. In Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, Siyamthanda Qeqe relies on social grants, which she says fall short. She prefers affordable options at PEP or Jet but criticizes schools for mandating specific uniform colors.
Likhona Lucas, also in Langa, manages by budgeting grants tightly, though she acknowledges widespread difficulties. The Competition Commission advises against schools forcing purchases from designated suppliers to promote choice.
Associate Professor Roland Goldberg from North-West University calls this a crisis. 'School expenses are now competing directly with the grocery bill... the money just isn’t there,' he stated. Abandoned lay-bys signal severe distress, with retailers like PEP countering through promotions, such as 99-cent school shoes for qualifying purchases.
