School crumbles, but MEC absent
BROKEN PROMISES: NO WATER, ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
Parents are livid about untenable conditions and meetings by officials not kept.
Pupils at Durban Deep Primary School in Roodepoort linger outside the school, in desperate need of education. The school has been closed for three weeks due to lack of water and electricity.
Parents gathered in a protest last week, demanding that the department address their needs, but their pleas were ignored.
Keke Tabane, a task team member for the school, says that pupils were drinking dirty water from water tanks supplied by a private company.
Joburg Water said in a statement that the school had requested them to refill two water tanks which belonged to the school. However, they realised the water tanks were poorly maintained and the water’s safety could not be guaranteed.
Joburg Water then suspended the water service to the school and removed the water tanks.
Tabane says MEC for education Panyaza Lesufi promised to meet community leaders to resolve the issue but failed to do so.
“He promised to locate schools for the pupils. This school is old. It was donated by a mine owner. The district office also tried to assist by installing a new water pipe but there’s an issue with the meter so it hasn’t been connected yet.”
Emiz Hlongwane, a mother of seven children, who are all registered at the school, urged the department to assist with placing the pupils in alternative schools.
“I am unemployed and it hurts to see that my children are not going to school. They’re engaging in dangerous activities because there is nothing else to do,” she said.
Tabane says the department made several unmet promises.
But Gauteng education spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department was working tirelessly to resolve the infrastructure at the school.
“We plan to build a new school in the area but it is important to note that we have just started with the plans.
“A service provider has fixed the water system and as such we can confirm that, we have already applied for water connection at the City of Josburg.”
But community members say that change has not been implemented.