Teachers' unions as well as school governing body (SGB) associations say they support the call to reopen schools on Monday, following consultations with the Department of Basic Education and Minister Angie Motshekga over the weekend.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the five unions and four SGB associations said they were briefed on the progress made on Covid-19 protocol compliance in schools, with overall readiness said to be at 94%.

The SGB associations are the Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools, National Association of School Governing Bodies, the Governing Body Foundation and the SA National Association for Specialised Education.

"The unions and SGB associations consequently tentatively support the call to reopen schools on 8 June 2020 with the clear understanding that no school may open that is not Covid-19 compliant, as per directive of the minister and state president," the joint statement read.

"This improvement came as a result of the constant emphasis by the unions and SGB associations that water and sanitation are the non-negotiables in the fight against the spread of the virus," they said.