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Two years after frustrated parents took premier Oscar Mabuyane and education MEC Fundile Gade to court over crumbling schools in Elliotdale, the Eastern Cape education department has announced a R146m programme to refurbish them.
In 2024, the Mthatha high court ordered Mabuyane and Gade to provide proper toilets, classrooms and sports facilities at Dumrana Senior Secondary School in Tabase, near Mthatha, as well as Zwelenqaba Senior Secondary, Gwebityala Senior Secondary, Kwa-Ntshunqe Junior Secondary and Khotyana Senior Primary in Elliotdale.
Judge Richard Brooks ruled that the failure to provide proper infrastructure breached pupils’ constitutional rights.
This week, the Mbhashe Local Municipality announced that mayor Samkelo Janda had met officials from the departments of public works and education regarding the implementation of the multimillion-rand school infrastructure programme in Ward 18.
The schools will be refurbished to be in line with the national department of education norms and standards
Eastern Cape education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima confirmed the projects on Thursday, saying the delays over the past two years were caused by planning and procurement processes.
“The schools will be refurbished to be in line with the national department of education norms and standards,” Mtima said.
“Khotyana’s classrooms will be demolished and rebuilt. Classrooms at Kwa-Ntshunqe and Zwelenqaba will be refurbished and additional classroom blocks added.
“The budget comes from the Education Infrastructure Grant.”
Mtima said procurement had already been finalised for Khotyana and Kwa-Ntshunqe, while Zwelenqaba’s bid was with the provincial treasury for adjudication.
“For Gwebityala, the contractor is already on site.
“Establishment is 90% complete, demolitions have been done and earthworks have commenced.
“The school is being constructed from scratch,” he said.
Mtima said Dumrana Senior Secondary School would also be revamped as part of the project.
When the Dispatch visited Dumrana in 2024, more than 115 pupils were packed into a single classroom.
Up to three pupils shared one desk while others had none. The school had about 800 pupils at the time.
Parents said they had been pleading with the government to rebuild the school since 2017, after it was upgraded to a high school.
At Khotyana Senior Primary, parents said the mud-brick school, built in 1926 by community members, had become unsafe.
“Classroom walls are cracked and we fear the school could collapse at any time.
“It is a huge risk sending our children there to learn,” one parent said at the time.
We are excited that the school will finally be fixed. Some classrooms were damaged by bad weather and strong winds destroyed some of the windows
Zwelenqaba Senior Secondary school governing body chair Nolast Mjantshi said this week the school community was relieved that the long-awaited upgrades would finally happen.
“We are excited that the school will finally be fixed. Some classrooms were damaged by bad weather and strong winds destroyed some of the windows,” she said.
In 2024, Mjantshi said, rain regularly flooded classrooms at the school, which has more than 500 pupils, while attempts to secure additional classrooms through the acquisition of shipping containers failed.
The school also lacked sports facilities, despite new pit toilets being installed in 2023.
Brooks ordered Mabuyane, Gade and the education superintendent-general to provide development plans, engineering reports and construction timelines to the various schools’ governing bodies by June 2024.
The plans needed to make provision for administration blocks, nutrition centres, science laboratories, dining halls, multipurpose classrooms and sports fields.
Kwa-Ntshunqe Junior Secondary principal Nomthendeleko Lajoboda said the school’s asbestos roofs leaked badly during heavy rains, severely affecting teaching and learning.
“When it rains, pupils have to move to one side of the classroom because of the leaks. Even the administration block leaks heavily,” she said.
“We had to use zinc sheets to cover the asbestos roofs, but we are happy that finally something will be done.”
The SA Democratic Teachers Union’s Tabile Kunene branch secretary, Wandile Ngceba, welcomed the announcement, saying rural schools had long been neglected.
“We had always called for the department to prioritise historical rural areas and we hope these schools will be fully equipped with modern amenities such as laboratories, libraries and media centres, rather than just physical structures.”
Ngceba urged communities to protect the schools once construction was completed.
Daily Dispatch
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