TEKWANE NORTH – The provincial Department of Education had undertaken to have transport available for learners in the area by yesterday after two high school girls were raped on their way home last week.
The assault of the girls, aged 20 and 21, angry residents of Tekwane North to block the Karino Plaston Road with burning tyres on Friday. They blamed the long distance secondary learners have to travel on foot for the incident, which occurred on Thursday afternoon.
Police spokesman, Brig Selvy Mohlala, said the girls were dragged into bush on their way home from school. He said they were released the same day and taken to a place of safety.
Mr Tender Sithole said he was a very concerned resident since he had a younger sister who attended school. “These kids have to navigate their way through the bush to get to the school, which is about four kilometres away,” he explained.
The protesting residents demanded that a secondary school be built for their children closer to home and that transport be provided for them. Education officials on the scene duly promised that transport for primary and high school learners from the township would begin yesterday.
Mr Mfana Lushaba, the Ehlanzeni district manager in the department said they did not provide transport before because the nearest schools were within a 10-kilometre radius of Tekwane North but that this decision has now been reviewed.
“Usually we don’t provide learner transport inside a 10-kilometre radius, but given the situation we will start providing transport for primary and secondary school learners as of Monday. The safety of learners concerns us very much.”
However, a high school has been planned for Tekwane North for some time. Lushaba explained that a plot of land had been rezoned in the township for this purpose but that it had been delayed by the municipality for so long that the department redirected the funds to building the Tekwane South Secondary School.
Lowvelder reported last year that the school would not be completed as planned by the end of last year to be ready for the beginning of the current school year.
Ms Reginah Mhaule, then MEC for education, said the school would be ready in the course of this year.
Lushaba said the department would sit down urgently to discuss the planned school in the area. View more pictures of the protest here.
