Haven for embattled PLG school

After PLG Academy was forced to shut down by KwaDukuza municipality in October, former principal Richard Lennox‘s last ditch attempt to find alternate premises has paid off.

Lennox said that in his own capacity and not on behalf of PLG Academy, he has found new premises to operate a private, affordable school at the Haven of Rest in Tongaat from January.

Lennox, along with what is left of his staff and almost half of the PLG pupils, will take over the existing school on the premises, which has 20 classrooms and can accommodate 400 pupils.

This last minute rescue mission comes after the parent company of PLG Ballito Academy announced its intention to close at the end of the year, leaving 39 staff and 272 pupils stranded. The company has been in and out of court for the past two years.

Ever since opening its doors in February 2015, it had been a target of complaints by property owners in the business park. The council took it to court for disregarding local building laws and the Durban High Court ruled it had to get its affairs in order by the end of the year or shut its doors. After spending close to a million rand in legal fees, PLG abandoned the battle to save the school in October.

Lennox said that the plan to open a school in Tongaat was finalised about two weeks ago. While the property belongs to the Haven of Rest’s Pastor Ronnie Naidoo, Lennox registered his own company, Eduport Development, which will lease the property from the Haven of Rest.

“The Haven of Rest school was built 16 years ago as a school for underprivileged pupils. The school is registered and was renovated four years ago to attract more people, however it did not really take off. The timing was perfect. The school was actually going to close because of a lack of pupils – while I had the pupils but no building and they had the building with no pupils. We even found that PLG Academy’s uniform and the Haven of Rest’s school uniforms are exactly the same,” he said.

Lennox said he has already been getting calls for enrollments.

“Some of the PLG pupils were able to find places in other schools. Umhlali is full and so the only option in the area is for the pupils to go to expensive private schools in Ballito. This was an option that some parents could not afford.

“When PLG closed its doors, 26 of the teachers and many pupils were left stranded. I knew I had to step in and do something.”

A parent of one of the matric PLG pupils, Gary Storey, said the news of a new private school in the North Coast was a huge relief.

“My daughter is going to be in matric next year and the past two years of uncertainty have been hell. The fact is that quality or private education is expensive and we cannot afford the high costs for some of the schools in Ballito.

“Richard has been amazing and I am so grateful for his efforts.”

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