Officials from the DBE, Eastern Cape Provincial Education Department and the Nelson Mandela Education District met at Hoërskool Otto Du Plessis in the Nelson Mandela Bay District, Gqeberha, on 25 February 2026, for the Bana Pele Early Childhood Development (ECD) Drive Silver Registration Activation.

The purpose of the Bana Pele ECD Registration is to enhance access to quality early childhood education by ensuring registration compliance for ECD programmes. The Bronze phase of the Bana Pele ECD Registration Drive focused on expanding system-wide inclusion by enabling the registration of a large number of centres through simplified digital processes and minimal registration requirements. The Silver registration phase, however, requires comprehensive site visits, infrastructure assessments, and health and safety verifications.

The Silver Registration Activation event sought to reaffirm the initiation of the Silver registration phase through the re-briefing of partners such as the Departments of Health and Social Development, Hope Worldwide, Smart Start, Grow ECD, and ECD practitioners who were present during the Activation. The transition of ECD programmes from Bronze to Silver/Gold registration is particularly critical, as it enables qualifying programmes that meet compliance standards to apply for ECD subsidies. Ms Ivy Rapoo, DBE’s Project Manager for ECD, expressed her gratitude to all government officials, partners, and ECD programmes, emphasizing the importance of working together, and not as individuals.

Ms Nozipho Chiliza, ECD Provincial Eastern Cape Director, mentioned that the province has registered 1,113 ECD programs at the Bronze level, with many ready to progress to the Silver status. She emphasized the simplicity and accessibility of the process. She indicated that assistance is available from ECD social workers if any challenges arise during the registration process. Site visits were conducted at two centres by DBE representatives, representatives from the province and the local education district, as well as Environmental Health Practitioners.  During the site visits conducted at the SOS Children Village and the Paidion Elementary School, the responsible Social Worker, Ms Nondumiso Manciya, administered the Journey Application, a digital tool designed to support the assessment of ECD programmes against the Silver/Gold norms and standards for registration.