Judge to rule on PLG’s future

After listening to final arguments between PLG School Ballito Academy and KwaDukuza municipality (KDM) in the Durban High Court on Friday, December 18, Justice Lopes decided to take few days before deciding the fate of the school.

KDM was granted an interdict last year to stop the school from operating without special consent.

In February this year, the school was given permission to operate until the end of this year while getting its house in order.

On December 7 the school applied for the interdict against them to be suspended and judgement was postponed until December 18.

The judge described the way in which the school went about its business “like a builder who starts building a building without plans” and said the school was more to blame than KDM.

However, considering the possible ramifications of whichever way the judgement goes, Justice Lopes will have a tough decision to make.

If he grants the suspension of the interdict, the school will continue to function as normal while negotiating special consent with KDM.

But if he rules against the suspension, the school would not be allowed to open its doors in 2016, leaving the school’s teachers without jobs and 270 current pupils plus 180 new applicants, faced with being placed elsewhere.

Although the education department said it would place the pupils elsewhere if the school had to close, there is a concern among parents that their children would have to go to public schools in Durban because the only local high schools are private and their fees are much higher than PLG’s.

Teachers are on knife’s edge, faced either with unemployment or very limited time to prepare for the 2016 academic year.

Because the school is not yet registered with the education department, there is some uncertainty about whether or not the past academic year will be recognised or not.

If not, pupils will have to repeat the year.

Read more about the intricacies of the case in next week’s Courier.