Metro eyes abandoned schools to be used for recreational purposes
IN a bid to halt vandalism and theft at vacant government schools, Nelson Mandela Bay is on a mission to take ownership of the land housing the abandoned buildings.
The city is expected to approach the Office of the Premier to request that ownership of the properties be transferred to the municipality from the Eastern Cape Department of Education.
Should premier Phumulo Masualle agree, the buildings would be used for recreational purposes by sports clubs, churches and other organisations.
The plan was announced by mayor Athol Trollip during a mayoral committee meeting yesterday.
“What we are seeing in the city is that many of our public education institutions are vacant – and as soon as you leave a building vacant, especially a public building, it becomes prone to vandalism,” he said.
There were 17 vacant schools in Nelson Mandela Bay, with seven in New Brighton, five in Kwazakhele, three in Zwide, one in Zinyoka and one in Motherwell, Education Department spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said.
“As the department, we welcome the utilisation of the schools by the municipality,” Mtima said.
“The infrastructure is meant for residents. If it is useful for community projects, we will provide the municipality with the necessary structure and processes to hand them over.”
Trollip said some of the vacant school buildings prone to vandalism were deteriorating daily.
“We want to identify schools that are now vacant and we want to allow non-government organisations and non-profit organisations or other schools, community committees and sports associations to use those facilities,” Trollip said.
“There are many associations for the aged, sports associations and dance clubs looking for facilities that we cannot provide [and] there is a proliferation of churches looking for land.”
When contacted yesterday, Masualle said his office would wait for the request and respond accordingly.
The matter was also raised by political head of human settlements Nqaba Bhanga in another meeting earlier yesterday.
He said at the mayoral committee meeting that the provincial Department of Education’s failure to consider the future was concerning.
“A part of the problem is the [department’s] short-term vision.
“There is an assumption when they close these schools that schools in these areas will not be needed in the near future.”
Bhanga said the metro was interested in looking after the properties. The poor standard of education in the areas did not necessarily mean the buildings would not be needed again, he said.