The DA in Limpopo is concerned by the department’s lackadaisical approach to the safety and quality of water learners receive in this province. This follows reports of 142 primary learners testing positive for bilharzia at Malwandla Primary School.
For years the DA has raised major concerns around infrastructure and basic facilities at schools in the province including clean water and water shortages at schools that may lead learners and schools to source water from unsafe sources or compromise water quality.
The department seemingly responded swiftly to this Bilharzia outbreak by testing water sources in the area, sending a team to conduct tests on learners and to treat the 142 learners but it should not take a bilharzia outbreak for the department to start to concern itself with the water quality and the sources of water used by schools.
While it is no yet clear what water source in the school or surrounding area caused this outbreak, we call on Education MEC, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, to take this outbreak as a serious warning and prioritise providing a consistent supply of clean water in Limpopo schools to prevent future incidents.
The 2024 Education Facility Management System report indicates that amongst other sources of water 2697 schools have a well on site or borehole, 230 schools use mobile tankers and 312 schools make use of rainwater harvesting.
It is unacceptable that our children are exposed to conditions that lead to such outbreaks, the department must improve the water quality as well as water and sanitation infrastructure, in order to ensure our schools are safe learning environments.
The DA will continue to monitor the progress with regard to this issue. We are committed to ensuring learners in Limpopo receive their education in a safe and dignified environment.