Urgent repairs needed for school
The school was built in 1985 and its structure is sagging and cracking.
Concern about the deteriorating condition of Victory Park Combined School in Hillsview near White River urged Cllr Trudie Grové-Morgan of City of Mbombela Local Municipality and the principal of the school to seek help from the community.
“It seems that the Mpumalanga government is waiting for disaster to strike before repairing the dilapidated buildings,” they told White River Post.
From as far back as 2000 the former principal of the school had written letters to the Department of Education requesting help for repairs to be done.
The school was built in 1985 and its structure is sagging and cracking.
These cracks became worse, creating fears that the building might collapse on learners.
In 2006 it was also reported that the roof and beams were rotten, causing extensive damage to furniture, books and stationary during rain seasons.
In 2017 a team of officials from the district office inspected the building and raised concerns about its condition.
All requests and concerns seem to be ignored by both the provincial departments of education and public works.
It was recently confirmed by officials of the education department that, since the school receives funding from it, it should see to the problem at its own cost.
Grové-Morgan and the current principal, Abri du Toit, however, stated that said funding from the department hardly covers day-to-day education needs.
They now revert to a plea to the community of White River to assist them. “If an expert can just come and have a look at the situation to advise us whether the cracks in the building are of a concern or not, it would already help,” Du Toit said.
Grové-Morgan also promised to liaise with colleagues in the provincial legislature to take this matter up with MECs for education and public works. “We will continue to monitor the situation until the much-needed repairs are done rather than react after a disaster has happened,” she vowed.
