The DA in Limpopo calls on the MEC for Education, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya to urgently address school closure caused by unsafe infrastructure identified during inspections and to hold responsible officials accountable.
This follows reports that Waterval High School was seemingly closed due to unsafe infrastructure after an inspection and learners were moved to a nearby primary school. Rivubye Secondary School has also received a notice for contraventions from the Department of Employment and Labour following an inspection. View photos here, here, here, here and here .
Rivubye Secondary School was largely built with mud bricks by the community and is dilapidated due to years of neglect and a lack of infrastructure maintenance by the department. In spite of this, the school with 846 learners continues to be the top performer in its circuit.
It now faces closure following the contravention notice that highlighted issues such as ensuring all doors to classrooms and broken windows are fixed. It also required ensuring that the grass around the school is cut and walkways to toilets are clear of any grass.
This closure comes at a time when the province is struggling to cope with overcrowding as well as massive infrastructure development and infrastructure maintenance backlogs. Other schools in the Vhembe area have allegedly also received contravention notices because of an unsafe environment and infrastructure and are at threat of closure.
Lerule-Ramakhanya and her department must hold officials responsible for the closure, prioritise properly maintaining existing schools and building new schools where there is a need. The department should be regularly inspecting its own infrastructure to pre-empt and promptly address challenges in Limpopo schools.
The closure and potential closures for schools in the province highlights the department’s continued failure to manage the province’s school infrastructure, characterised by the historical challenges of infrastructure maintenance backlog and classroom shortages.
The DA will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that the issue is fully addressed. Learners and teachers in Limpopo cannot be expected to function in an unsafe environment and infrastructure that is unconducive to learning.