Photo: Albert Gonzalez Farran/UN

The initial number of school closures was 27 and the aim is to improve opportunities for learners by placing them in schools that are better equipped to provide quality education.

Cape Town — The ANC in the Western Cape has vowed to take court action against the provincial education department over the closure of 20 schools, it was reported on Wednesday.

"We will take this to the top. No court in South Africa can say we don't have a case. Rest assured this is not an idle threat," African National Congress provincial leader Marius Fransman told the Cape Argus.

He said this issue went beyond party politics.

Provincial education MEC Donald Grant announced the school closures on Tuesday, adding that seven schools originally earmarked for closure would remain open.

A pupil at Zonnebloem Nest Secondary told the newspaper she was extremely happy her school would remain open.

"This is the only school my parents can afford that offers drama and Spanish classes," she said.

It was a different story at Beauvallon Secondary, where pupils were given letters notifying them of their school closure.

Principal Henry Hockey said transferring his pupils from Valhalla Park to Bishop Lavis would ignite gang wars and children would get caught up in it.