WATCH: Laerskool Nelspruit closed as EFF protest fails to materialise
A protest was planned for Tuesday morning, to address the problem of school shortages in Mbombela.
MBOMBELA – Only about 10 fighters showed up at Laerskool Nelspruit this morning after the EFF’s provincial leader, Collen Sedibe, threatened a protest action at the school.
The school decided to close for the day, for everyone’s safety.
Sedibe was disappointed, as his protest is not against the school, but about a shortage of space in local public schools.
WATCH: EFF protest fails to materialise
He has, however, sent mixed messages about his exact aims.
He told Lowvelder, “Every year there is a crisis. We have received many complaints from parents about pupils who can’t find space in schools, because they are full. Now children are missing out, as classes have started but they are still on a waiting list.
“The government must either add more classes or build new schools. Since the advent of democracy the town has grown exponentially, but no new schools have been built in town.
“More and more people are living and working in Mbombela, but they can’t place their children in schools. It is a very seriuos challenge for parents.”
Some parents who didn’t get the message about school being closed arrived at locked gates, and a presence of security companies and two ambulances on standby. 
Only a handful of fighters eventually arrived.
Sedibe was disappointed, as he said they communicated to the school that they would be peaceful.
They intended to do the same at Laerskool Bergland and Laerskool Laeveld tomorrow and the day after, but not if those schools would close too, he said.
“For us education is the most important. We don’t want children to miss out on school.”
Laerskool Bergland cancelled a scheduled athletics meet at the school today.
EFF members and concerned community member, Jo Koster, said the fighters should have taken their protest to the Department of Education.
The protest action was not the first time a threatened protest by the party has failed to materialise.
READ MORE: H&M closes after threat from EFF
Laerskool Nelspruit closed on Tuesday over planned EFF protest action at school – January 29, 19:40
MBOMBELA – Laerskool Nelspruit announced this evening that the primary and pre-school, Nellie Miere, will be closed on Tuesday.
This follows a stated intention by the EFF in Mpumalanga’s leader, Collen Sedibe, that the party will protest in front of the school’s main gate on Tuesday morning, to pressure the government to build more schools in town.
UPDATE: NHS announces revised drop-off arrangements over EFF protest action – January 29, 17:35
MBOMBELA- Hoërskool Nelspruit this afternoon communicated a contingency plan to parents, to avoid any possible disruption by protest action the EFF says it intends tomorrow morning.
The Mpumalanga EFF leader, Collen Sedibe, claimed on Facebook on Sunday that the fighters would stage a protest at the school on Tuesday morning.
He has since said he meant Laerskool Nelspruit.
NHS, however, is taking no chances. It asked parents on the school communicator this afternoon to rather drop pupils off at the sport fields (accessible from the gate in Friedenheim Street) and to collect them from the same spot in the afternoon.
“The situation on the school yard is safe. Should it change at all parents will be informed immediately,” the school said.
Learners going to school with motorcycles are requested to use the same access point.
Normal school is set to continue.
UPDATE: Laerskool Nelspruit to communicate action plan on EFF protest – January 29, 15:20
MBOMBELA – Charles Nel, chair of Laerskool Nelspruit’s governing body, said the newspaper’s questions were the first they had heard of the planned protest action.
He added that the school was strongly opposed to it.
“The safety of learners, personnel and parents is priority,” he said.
The school’s SGB was to meet at 17:00, after which a plan of action would be communicated to all parents.
ALSO READ: Protesters dispersed and road re-opened at MPU
EFF to protest at Laerskool Nelspruit – January 29, 13:40
The EFF in Mpumalanga is planning to stage a protest action at Laerskool Nelspruit tomorrow morning.
Provincial party leader, Collen Sedibe, posted on his Facebook page on Sunday that all parents of learners and residents were invited “to a protest against the exclusion of blacks” at Hoërskool Nelspruit.
However, on Monday he told Lowvelder that he in fact meant Laerskool Nelspruit and that the aim was to draw attention to the fact that there were too few schools in town.
“We want to put pressure on the government to either add more classes to schools or build more schools,” he said.
The protest is scheduled as follows: Tuesday at 07:00 at Laerskool Nelspruit gate.
ALSO READ: Crisis over too few places for Lowveld grade ones
* Please note that after the initial release of this article Collen Sedibe contacted Lowvelder with information that the protest will be taking place at Laerskool Nelspruit, and not Hoërskool Nelspruit as he previously stated.
