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Parents of more than 500 pupils at St Anne’s Primary School have accused the Eastern Cape department of education of effectively allowing the collapse of the historic institution by preparing to relocate pupils to schools across Buffalo City Metro, with dozens of staff facing possible unemployment.
The claims emerged ahead of a planned mass protest to the department’s Zwelitsha headquarters, where close to 1,000 parents, pupils and community members are expected to demand urgent intervention to save the 130-year-old school.
Tensions escalated further this week after Buffalo City district education officials warned teachers and staff against participating in the planned protest during school hours.
The warning came days after provincial education head Sharon Maasdorp issued a circular prohibiting the unlawful closure of public schools, stressing that no school may suspend teaching and learning without approval from her office.
In the circular, Maasdorp said the department was concerned by incidents in which school governing bodies, school management teams, educators, parents and community groups had unilaterally halted academic activities.
She said such actions were illegal and infringed on pupils’ constitutional right to basic education.
But St Anne’s school governing body chair Gary Peterson said parents’ frustrations stemmed from what they believed was the department’s failure to act decisively to secure the future of the school.
“The department was well aware of this intention to sell the school last year,” Peterson said.
“They’ve done nothing to approach the landlord so that they can purchase the school, so that the school can continue operating and jobs can be saved.”
Peterson said matters intensified during a recent meeting attended by district education officials, where parents were allegedly informed that pupils could be placed at various schools based on where they lived.
“What they told us is they would place children in different schools in different areas. In other words, they are dissolving the school.”
According to Peterson, officials indicated that nearby schools had sufficient classroom space to absorb pupils, with only a small number of prefabricated classrooms potentially required.
“They mentioned maybe bringing in one or two prefabricated classrooms, which means they are only trying to save one or two teaching posts,” he said.
“The remaining teachers and staff members are basically facing unemployment.”
The school currently employs 10 SGB teachers, 14 state-paid teachers, six cleaners, four grounds staff members and three administrative officials.
Peterson said legal advice obtained by parents suggested the department could struggle to challenge the sale of the property by its owners, the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St Catharine of Siena of King William’s Town, an international congregation of Catholic nuns founded in Qonce in 1877, because it had allegedly breached lease obligations.
The nuns no longer have an active presence in the city aside from residents at the Emmaus Convent Retirement Home in Cambridge for ageing sisters.
They had established notable local institutions like the Sacred Heart Convent, at the site of what is now Hudson Park Primary, and the Mater Dei Hospital, now Life St Dominic’s Hospital.
We are saying we are not going anywhere. The school must continue
According to Peterson, the department’s lease agreement expires in March 2027, but the department is allegedly 10 months behind on rental payments.
Peterson questioned why authorities had allegedly failed to explore alternatives to preserve the school despite its long history.
“We’re talking about more than 130 years of history. This school is part of the community.
“We are saying we are not going anywhere. The school must continue,” he said.
The uncertainty follows confirmation that East London Science College was in the process of buying the property and intended relocating its high school to the site to expand its educational offering.
Provincial education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima confirmed the department was aware of the matter and said legal services were in discussions with the Dominican Sisters over the proposed sale.
However, Mtima declined to answer questions regarding the future of the school or whether staff would retain their jobs.
The planned relocation of pupils has, meanwhile, fuelled anger among parents, many of whom say they still do not know where their children will attend school after the mid-year holidays.
A parent from Mdantsane said families remained in the dark about what would happen next.
“At the moment, we don’t know anything and where our children will go after the mid-year holidays,” the parent said.
“We don’t want a situation where we arrive after the holidays and find the gates locked.”
The parent also accused education officials of failing to communicate despite repeated attempts by families to obtain answers.
“We called, submitted memorandums, and still there are no answers.
“When we phoned the provincial office, they didn’t even know the school was being sold.
“That tells us the problem is here at district level.”
Parents said the uncertainty was causing severe emotional and financial strain, particularly for working-class families who chose the school because it was affordable and close to home.
One parent said school fees ranged from about R1,500 a month to roughly R2,200 including aftercare.
“It was walking distance for my child,” another parent said.
“Now we don’t know where we are going to be placed, how much transport will cost or whether we will even afford fees at new schools.”
Another parent from Southernwood said families had already budgeted and bought uniforms for the school year before learning of the possible closure.
“I bought uniforms for my child already. Must I now buy another uniform?”
The parent said families had agreed to support the planned protest action.
The Dominican Sisters of King William’s Town, established several schools in Buffalo City as well as St Dominic’s Hospital opposite St Anne’s.
The nuns took over an existing school on the property during the 1950s, which later became St Anne’s Primary.
The school, but not the property was eventually taken over by the department of education in the late 1990s.
Daily Dispatch
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