Years of overcrowded classrooms, protests and broken promises have finally pushed Etete’s education crisis onto the KwaZulu-Natal Cabinet’s agenda, with the construction of a new high school emerging as the community’s most urgent need.

The issue took centre stage during Operation Sukuma Sakhe (OSS) and District Development Model (DDM) Cabinet Day in the iLembe District last Wednesday, where government leaders met residents to identify key service delivery priorities. Among the concerns raised, education stood out as one of the community’s biggest challenges.

As part of the programme, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Education Sipho Hlomuka visited a site earmarked for the possible construction of a new high school in Etete.

During the visit, Hlomuka committed to a comprehensive feasibility study to determine whether the site meets the legislative, environmental and infrastructure requirements needed before construction can begin.

Ward 7 councillor Blessing Fakazi said residents have waited years for a high school despite land having been set aside for one.

“When Human Settlements designed this township, space for a high school had already been allocated.

However, the department said the site was not large enough,” he said.

Instead, Tinley Manor Primary School was expanded into a combined school. It now caters for pupils from Grade R to Grade 10 and will add Grade 11 next year.

“Phase three of Tinley Manor has not been built, which is another challenge. However, the department has promised that the project will commence,” Fakazi said.

The expansion followed years of frustration, including community protests in which residents blocked roads with burning tyres after repeated promises of additional classrooms failed to materialise. While the project eased some pressure, the new classrooms are now occupied by senior grades, leaving overcrowding unresolved.

Residents also raised concerns about high crime, youth unemployment, inadequate water and sanitation services to RDP houses, substance abuse, poor roads and the lack of a library.

The concerns mirror wider education challenges across KwaDukuza. During Premier Thami Ntuli’s public meeting in Groutville last Wednesday, residents appealed for urgent intervention at Aldinville Primary School, citing unsafe infrastructure, leaking prefabricated classrooms and exposed electrical wiring. They also reiterated the need for a high school in Madundube.