Abstract
The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic had an enormous impact on South Africa’s education system due to lockdowns that were imposed by the government. A total paradigm shift descended on our education system when human movement was prohibited and learning came to a halt. This resulted in the impact of social media on education being redefined. Education shifted to online platforms, however, that was impossible for the majority of learners from low-income households due to socio-economic factors, lack of staff development planning, resources and infrastructure to accommodate online learning. The aim of this study was to investigate how principals can lead learning through WhatsApp as a leadership tool during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study outlines the challenges that school principals encountered in leading learning in primary schools through WhatsApp and the innovations that came with saving the academic years. During this study, I sought to explore principals’ experiences on leading learning during the COVID-19 pandemic through WhatsApp. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis were conducted to gather data. The data were analysed using qualitative coding and categorised and analysed to identify themes. It was hoped that this study would highlight the challenges experienced by public primary school principals during COVID-19 in leading learning through WhatsApp and the recommendations that these school leaders have shared about leading learning through WhatsApp.