Angry parents threaten to lock out acting principal at troubled Shakaskraal school

Parents and staff at Shakaskraal SA Primary are demanding urgent intervention amid infrastructure collapse and a leadership crisis.

Staff members claim the situation is being worsened by the acting principal’s leadership, which they allege is creating a hostile environment for teaching and learning.

“We reported our grievances to the district office, and the principal is under investigation by the Department of Education,” said one staff member.

Attempts to reach the Education department for comment on the investigation were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.

Tensions escalated last Wednesday when the principal failed to attend a scheduled meeting. In response, angry parents demanded she remain at home until the exam period was over, threatening to lock her out of the school if she returned. She has not been seen at the school since Friday.

KwaDukuza Business Forum (KBF) representative Philani Pityo has appealed to the community and local businesses for urgent assistance with basic infrastructure needs, including doors and windows, as winter approaches.

“While the leadership situation is concerning, the school also urgently needs infrastructure support,” said Pityo.

Parent and KBF member Thami Chiliza said pupils were forced to stay home for two weeks due to broken toilets last term – an interruption that severely affected their academic performance.

These challenges are unfolding amid broader unrest in the province’s education sector. The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) staged pickets across KwaZulu-Natal this week, including outside the iLembe district offices, protesting systemic failures in education governance and funding.

SADTU pointed to chronic underfunding of quintile 1-3 schools, which should receive R1 602 per pupil annually but are currently allocated only R955 – a shortfall of R647 per pupil. The union also criticised the non-payment of the basic finance allocation in May and the ongoing lack of school security, all of which have left schools struggling to function.

In protest, SADTU has announced its members will boycott departmental meetings and workshops and will limit teaching to seven hours a day, with no extra classes offered.

“These failures by the Education department are not just a violation of education policy or the Act, but a blatant disregard of the Constitution,” said SADTU provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza.

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