“This Is Absolutely Sick”: Mom’s Rant About 2026 School Fees Hits Home, SA Vents

• A mother expressed frustration over the rising school fees and the pressure to pay the full annual amount by the end of December for a discount
• The honest clip was shared on the video-streaming platform TikTok, resonating with thousands of viewers who vented their shared struggles with private school costs
• Social media users sympathised with her dilemma, with many blaming the government's lack of quality public schools for allowing private institutions to take advantage

A mother’s candid video venting about the stress of managing spiralling school fees sparked a huge discussion online, highlighting a painful financial reality for many South African families.

The clip, shared on TikTok by @tahlialz, drew immediate empathy from many viewers who flooded the comments section, voicing their frustrations.

The video starts with TikTok user @tahlialz sitting outside her home on a sunny day. The mother began by admitting her confusion over how people manage the ever-increasing school fees, and acknowledging that although other schooling options exist, the current school is great for her children. The financial pressure, however, had become unbearable.

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School fees increase force mom to side hustling

She revealed that to achieve the maximum discount of around 7%, they must pay the entire year’s fees by the end of December. This deadline was a major concern, as they had been given until the end of February the previous year. The situation was intensified by her daughter transitioning to a new school, where the fees had gone up significantly.

The mom calculated the devastating monthly cost: if they couldn't pay one child's fees upfront, they would be forced to pay R7,000 per month - a figure which shocked her. To manage this load, she announced that she and her family would resume their side hustles, even planning to sell household items at a market over the weekend to minimise the financial pressure for the coming year.

SA debates the costs of school fees

The comment section was flooded with reactions from social media users who voiced their own frustrations. Many mothers mentioned the high amounts they were paying, lamenting that school fees would ‘be the death of them.’ Some viewers advised the woman to consider homeschooling, arguing that the option works well and allows her to start saving money. Others were quick to blame the government, suggesting the lack of quality public schools allowed private institutions to take advantage of the situation by continuously raising prices.

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User @Dani2423 said:

"This is absolutely sick. I was in high school and finished in 2010, and my fees were like R750 a month. How has it gone up to this much? I'm shocked beyond."

User @Mel said:

"Wait till they get to high school."

User @Leidy Neutral Side commented:

"Can we please not talk about them. Like, I am facing my single mom problems daily, and I just don't even want to think about school yet😭."

User @Sash shared:

"Homeschooling for the win."

User @Elle said:

"School fees will kill us 😪. I will be paying almost R200k for two kids, one in Grade 9 and Grade R, excluding varsity 😭."

User @librafair added:

"Schools have become so toxic with their prices while knowing all parents want what’s best for their little ones."

User @Kay commented:

"Again, our government is not building any public schools, so these schools are taking advantage of this situation."

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Watch the TikTok video below:

3 Briefly News articles about school fees

• A cute video of four Zuluboy teaching his mother how to speak English with instructions on proper mouth shape and tongue rolling, had viewers joking that it was the high school fees talking.
• A young university student expressed heartfelt gratitude to taxpayers in a TikTok video for supporting her upbringing through the SASSA grant and helping her continue her studies with NSFAS.
• A content creator's monthly expenditure breakdown of a local household revealed a R17,500 allocation to school fees and a total monthly necessities expenditure of R64,929.

Source: Briefly News