Lim community protests unsafe school renovations

LIMPOPO – Concerns have been raised by community members of Mnghonghoma village over the ongoing renovation of two classroom blocks at Mnghonghoma Primary School, currently being undertaken by the Limpopo Department of Education.

While the community welcomes improvements to the school’s infrastructure, they are angered by what they describe as poor planning and disregard for the well-being of learners and local stakeholders. At the heart of the complaints is the department’s alleged failure to provide alternative classrooms during the construction period.

According to parents and community leaders, learners are taught in unsafe and disruptive conditions.

“Learners are forced to attend classes while painting and cleaning are underway. This exposes them to chemical fumes and bad weather,” said one concerned parent, Sydney Ngobeni.

The situation has also sparked outrage over the removal of old school materials from the site. Community members claim that some of the items being taken away were originally donated by locals and still hold value.

“The contractor or the department has no right to remove them. They must leave everything here,” said one of the members of the local council, Victor Mavunda.

The community is now demanding documentation to prove that a contractor is permitted to claim such materials during renovations on public or community-owned properties.

“If the department insists the contractor has that right, they should show us a document that says so,” added Mavunda.

In response, Department of Education spokesperson Mike Maringa defended the contractor’s actions. “The material belongs to the contractor. He has a right to keep them since it is part of his SLA (service level agreement) with the department,” Maringa said.

The issue has also raised broader concerns about the transparency and fairness of the project. Deputy School Governing Body (SGB) chairperson, Master Rasiyale, criticised the lack of consultation and cooperation with local leadership.

“Things are not being handled properly at the school. We were told that the mobile classes meant for us were redirected to another school. When we asked for assistance, we were told to go collect unused mobile classes from neighbouring schools, something we cannot afford to do,” said Rasiyale.

He also alleges that the contractor was not paying his labourers on time.

“We were not consulted when the contractor was appointed, and now he operates without accountability. He sometimes skips paying workers or gives them only half of what they’re owed. We’re told that we’re not supposed to know how much they earn, yet we’re expected to represent them,” he said.

The community is calling for immediate intervention from the department, transparency regarding contractual terms and the provision of alternative classes of mobile classrooms to ensure safe and uninterrupted learning.

Meanwhile, Maringa did not respond to the question of why the department failed to provide alternative classrooms for the school.