MBOMBELA – Drie van die 11 skole wat onlangs hoofopskrifte weens uitstaande elektrisiteitsrekeninge gehaal het, se beheerliggame het gister ‘n persverklaring vrygestel. Hoërskool Nelspruit, Laerskool Nelspruit en Lowveld High School brei meer op dié onderwerp in môre se Laevelder uit. Die artikel bevat ook die nuutste kommentaar van die munisipaliteit sowel as die Departement van Onderwys.
MBOMBELA – The 11 schools within Mbombela Local Municipality (MLM), which may soon have to operate without electricity, have been identified.
Lowvelder reported on this issue on Friday after the paper had received a tip-off that schools’ electricity supply might be cut due to their outstanding and overdue accounts for services rendered.
In the meanwhile Lowvelder established that the amount owed by the schools is estimated at just over R8 million, of which R4,2 million is owed by Hoërskool Nelspruit.
According to documentation in the newspaper’s possession, MLM issued schools with notices concerning disconnection of services on June 26. The schools were given a period of 14 days to settle the outstanding accounts or make acceptable payment arrangements.
The provincial Department of Education also issued letters to the schools on the very same day, urging them to pay the outstanding amounts. In this letter the department stated that they did transfer the first tranche (portion) of 50 per cent as required by the South Africa Schools Act (SASA) to schools in May and wrote that the schools were expected to pay the municipality with the funds received.
In the letter the department added that failure to comply within the stipulated 14 days, it will have no choice but to utilise the schools’ last 50 per cent tranche of transfer and pay MLM directly.
On Monday it could not be confirmed if the payments from the schools to the municipality have been made. Lowvelder, however, contacted the schools which confirmed that their power had not been cut.
The newspaper furthermore received information that an interdict had been issued in the meantime, preventing the municipality from cutting the power. An informed source also told Lowvelder that the listed schools were not “classified” correctly and that they were expected to pay business rates, “which is not according to law”.
Lowvelder contacted the schools yet again with regards to this matter, but was referred to their attorney, Mr Johann du Preez, who referred the paper back to the Department of Education.
Questions were sent to the departmental spokesman, Mr Jasper Zwane, as well as the municipality. Both failed to respond at the time of going to press.
Below is a list of the schools that received notice for their outstanding and overdue accounts:
- Hoërskool Nelspruit – R4 242 766.95
- Lowveld High School – R855 893.66
- Laerskool Nelspruit and hostel – R884 828.90
- Ngodini High Secondary School – R684 606.00
- Vulindlela Secondary School – R360 436.21
- Entokozweni Lower Primary School – R317 012.65
- Emthonjeni Primary School – R232 453.46
- Khutsalani Secondary School – 163 535.84
- Sandzile Lower Primary – R120 489.21
- Bergland Laerskool – R20 565.40
- Boschrand Primary School – R149 959.14
