It is more than 10 years since the former MEC for education, Reginah Mhaule, first announced the building of a school for the deaf. The school has not been constructed. The province does not have a school that accommodates learners living with deafness and blindness. The announcement was first made on May 24, 2011 in the 2011/12 budget speech.

Jane Sithole, the chairperson of the DA in Mpumalanga, said, “Some parents are struggling with their kids at home, because there is no school in the province that accommodates them. This is a disgrace, for 11 years later this government is still trying to figure out where this school will be built.”

During an interview with Lowvelder, Sithole said in the past years the school was included in the budget speech and in the State of the Province Address (Sopa).

“They spent money to research the location at which the school will be built, but the school is still not constructed. They previously had a budget for this project, but it is no longer there. The first identified site was in Mbombela, the second in Barberton and the last one in eMalahleni. To do all this work, they use money and I do not understand how they can just drop a project like this one. Our kids in the province need it,” she explained.

ALSO IN PHOTOS: Ehlanzeni District’s Department of Education hosts its annual awards

Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane said, “As indicated earlier, Sopa gives a broad policy direction and not details. The executive responsible for education will give more details at an appropriate time on the construction and operationalisation of the school for the deaf.”

ALSO READ: DA unhappy with Budget Speech

Mtshweni-Tsipane added that the provincial government does, however, see this as a huge milestone in their efforts of catering for the disabled communities.