Construction of the new Dome Combined School at a contract cost of R90,8m, is now 88% completed, with the anticipated date for learners to move to their new school premises set for October 31.

This was revealed during an oversight visit by the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikala, accompanied by the Free State MEC for the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dibulelo Mance. The site will, according to the department, be handed over on October 21.

The project originally had a completion time frame of 20 months, set to have been completed by June 2024. The contractor, White Leopard, started with the building project in August 2022.

The new school building includes 24 classrooms, three Grade R rooms, computer labs, a media centre, an administration block, a multi-purpose hall, a kitchen, a tuck shop, ablution facilities for learners and staff, and offices for heads of departments. To date 81,47% of the contract sum has been spent. The outstanding work still to be completed is the hall internal finishes, kitchen equipment installation, computer lab internal finishes, water tank and pumping system installation, installation of a mini-substation, and door hinge installation.

MEC Mance, during her oversight visit to the construction site in 2025, urged contractors and departments to intensify their efforts to complete infrastructure projects on time, saying communities deserve prompt and efficient service delivery. Mance then emphasised the importance of accountability and urgency in delivering projects to client departments. Completion of the project has in the past been delayed due to various challenges, including delays in payment to the contractor.

Mance again emphasised that finishing on time reduces costs and prevents unnecessary delays.
As was promised during her last visit, she kept the project under her radar.

The land where the school is currently situated was zoned for educational purposes way back in the seventies. The mobile classrooms were a temporary measure, and a permanent structure has been needed for a long time. In 2020, engineers visited the school premises and confirmed that the clay soil and wetland would make preparing the land and building too expensive. As safety and cost need to be considered, the decision was made to build on the premises on Fourth Avenue.

The new school premises are situated on municipal grounds, earmarked for the building of the school as a joint project of the Department of Education and the Department of Public Works.