Plastic View toddlers continue school in the open
“We just wanted a tent for shade and protection against during lessons.”
Children at the Plastic View (Woodlane Village) informal settlement were left without a place of learning after a tent meant to be used as their daycare centre was demolished.
The tent, erected by non-profit organisation SA Cares for Life after three years of struggling, was meant to house the more than 100 children as a daycare centre while their parents were out working.
SA Cares For Life managing director Sanet Fagan said for years, she had been struggling to get a decent place of learning for children after there was a need identified.
“We went to each house trying to find out what needs people of the settlement had…They didn’t ask me for money.
“I could not face the hundreds of children sitting in the streets, the parents begging me for education for their kids, so we pushed ahead and packed out tables and chairs and started our day care.”
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Two years ago, while the daycare was running under the sun, she managed to secure mobile classrooms, but her move was stopped by members of the community who complained to the municipality.
The NGO saw it fit get a tent to shelter the children from the blazing sun.
But this was short-lived when the Tshwane metro police entered the informal settlement on Friday night, and removed the tent hours after it was put up.
Fagan said she understood the law and had intensely consulted her legal representative before erecting the tent.
A R1 500 fine was also imposed on Fagan.
A high court ruling in 2009, ordered the metro to police the area and ensure that no new structures were erected at the settlement to prevent it from growing beyond what it is.
“I was advised that because the tent was not a permanent structure, it would not be in contravention with the court order.” she said.
“We just wanted a tent for shade and protection during lessons,” an emotional Fagan said.
“The joy of the children when the tent went up broke my heart.”
Fegan said she was aware of the politics surrounding the informal settlement, but wanted to provide temporary relief while long-term solutions were being sought by decision-makers.
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The NGO visited the settlement every Tuesdays and Thursdays, where amongst other things, they taught the children hygiene, numeracy, colours and the days of the week.
They also provided food, water and sanitation for the children and their families.
Her first visit to the settlement left her shocked when she saw children playing unsupervised in raw sewage and searching for food from nearby dumping sites.
‘This is what inspired the initiative,” she said.
She said many of their initiatives were intended to alleviate some of the problems experienced at the settlement including unemployment and lack of proper sanitation.
Tshwane mayoral spokesperson Omogolo Taunyana said the eviction order was obtained by residents around the informal settlement as instructed by the mayor Stevens Mokgalapa.
“While the administration appreciates the assistance volunteered by civil society groups, the law must be adhered to at all times,” she said.
“SA Cares is deliberately defying the law by promoting land invasions and being disingenuous in purporting to paint the city in a negative image while they’ve failed to follow due process, therefore acting unlawfully.”
She said the city was open to working with all stakeholders who shared the same vision of bettering the lives of residents.
“However this has to be done within the confines of the law.”
Meanwhile, the children will continue to learn in the sun until the NGO and its legal team reach out to the Tshwane municipality.
“We will not give up,” Fagan said.
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