Dr WK du Plessis School’s new building was handed over by the Gauteng Department of Education MEC Matome Chiloane, the province’s Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, and the City of Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza on January 22.

The handover was welcomed by the school’s acting deputy principal, Heinrich Terblanche. Speaking to the African Reporter Terblanche shared a word of thanks before the unveiling of the plaque and the officials’ addresses in the new school hall.

The new facility has the capacity for around 600 learners, with the ability to increase capacity at a later date should it become necessary. Almost 400 learners from grades one to 12 are occupying the newly built classrooms.

“It’s a big honour and privilege, and it means a lot of opportunities for our learners. Here, our learners can carve out a career for themselves with these facilities,” he said.

“To receive something like this is a good sign for South Africa’s future. The classes are bigger; the technology in the classes is astonishing. Previously, we were in prefab; now we have brick and mortar.

“The facilities available are an amazing improvement. It will show a learner how to keep something clean and to have respect for the building and the people in it,” he continued.

“The facilities will teach them how to deal with the basic necessities of life. The previous prefabricated facilities posed many challenges, such as leaky roofs, burst pipes and ageing infrastructure.

“It made it difficult sometimes. We appreciate just having a floor that’s not cracking. We had a lot of burglaries at the prefab facilities; hopefully, now with brick and mortar, it will deter the criminals,” Terblanche said.

“Security is also much better now than at the previous establishment,” he explained.

Despite the challenges faced with the temporary facility, the school managed to achieve a 100% pass rate in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations for three consecutive years.

According to Terblanche, the builders left space for further development on the premises, making future upgrades and expansions possible.

“Without the Department of Infrastructure Development and the Gauteng Department of Education, this wouldn’t be possible,” he said.

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“To the learners and personnel, please enjoy, please respect, and don’t just see it as a given or a must, but as an honour and privilege. Respect what you have,” he concluded.

The school’s head boy, Bonginkosi Ndlazi, told the publication that as the learners of the school, they are appreciative of the new facilities.

Ndlazi said that the learners are also excited about the sports grounds.

Together with the school’s RCL, he shared that they will be working on maintaining the school’s facilities for future generations.

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“As the learners, we motivate each other, treat each other as family and work together so they make my work a bit easier.

“We have to put the discipline in and work hard within ourselves and lead each other into a better future,” said Ndlazi.

As a head boy who has been part of the school since Grade One, Ndlazi said he is overjoyed at the launch. He shared with the new learners to aim higher and noted that the journey is not easy, but the teachers are there to support them.

During the handover, a protest led by COSAS was staged in the school hall. Protesters demanded that their grievances, including school placements, be addressed. They were later escorted out of the hall, where Chiloane engaged them.