AfriForum cleans up sewage-hit school
BARKLY WEST Primary School reopened yesterday after AfriForum Kimberley spent most of Friday disinfecting and emptying the pools of sewage that have accumulated all around the school premises.
The Department of Labour issued a prohibition notice on October 10 due to the sewage spillage in the school yard, following an inspection by the occupational health and safety inspector.
Provincial spokesperson for the Department of Labour, Kebalepile Khula, stated that the prohibition notice would only be lifted once the municipality had furnished them with an engineering certificate to declare the sewage pump fixed and operational.
“We would like to put it on record that the Department of Labour was not responsible for the alleged closure of Barkly West Primary School, nor did it make any suggestion for such,” said Khula yesterday
“The occupational health and safety inspector instructed the Dikgatlong Local Municipality to enlist the services of a qualified engineer to resolve the issue of the non-functional pump which is suspected to be the source of the sewage spillage in the school.”
The school governing body yesterday indicated that classes had resumed at the school.
The chairperson of the AfriForum community safety branch in Kimberley, Dawie Griesel, said that their members had used machinery to suck out the blocked pipes and sanitise the area to neutralise the odours.
“We spent most of the day cleaning up the school. Although it was not labour intensive, the principal agreed to allow some of the teachers to lend a hand as not all our members were able to get off work. We decided that this situation cannot continue and that pupils had to get back to class and prepare for their exams.”
He added that service delivery protesters allowed them access to the school on Friday.
“As long as the pumps work properly and the pump station is in operation, the problem will hopefully be fixed.”
Spokesperson for the Department of Education, Geoffrey van der Merwe, confirmed that Barkly West Primary School was reopened yesterday.
“It was closed by the Department of Labour following the overflowing of sewage on the school premises,” said Van der Merwe.
“We have engaged the municipality on the matter and agreed that the MEC for Education will meet with the mayor to find a long-term solution to the problem.”
Meanwhile, opposition councillors stated that the chief financial officer (CFO) at Dikgatlong Municipality and the technical manager had been placed on special leave without a proper council resolution.
Independent councillor Mently Bezuidenhout stated that the council meeting that was disrupted on Thursday last week was reconvened on Friday.
“The ANC pushed through the motion to place the two municipal officials on special leave while the opposition are still insisting that the CFO must be placed on precautionary suspension in terms of the municipal regulations.”
Bezuidenhout added that the motion was voted in by way of a show of hands, while the meeting was again disrupted before it could be passed.
“The opposition and ANC councillors almost became involved in a physical fight with each other and the council meeting was again disrupted.”
Dikgatlong mayor Dorothy Mbizeni stated that the CFO and the technical manager were placed on special leave with immediate effect in line with a council resolution.
“The officials will be placed on special leave, pending a forensic investigation that will be conducted by the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs into various allegations at Dikgatlong Municipality.
“An official from the Frances Baard district will be seconded to address service delivery issues.”
Mbizeni added that despite opposition councillors trying to disrupt the council meeting on Friday, they had succeeded in passing the resolution.