JOHANNESBURG - Some Matric pupils are studying in the dark as they prepare for the 2023 examinations.
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says its virtually impossible to exempt all schools from power cuts.
But the Basic Education Education Department says it has put some contingency measures in place in some provinces.
At national level, Ramokgopa says exempting all high schools would present a logistical nightmare.
"It's very difficult to exempt all schools because, if you come to think of it, if you had to map the density of the geographic locations of these schools, you'll find that the highest densities of these schools are located in areas of significant amount of load," the minister said.
"That is where there is major industry and the like, they share some of the distribution infrastructure with some of these major energy users."