Sekampaneng primary school ‘literally sinking into the ground’
"This school, which was built by the community, is old and dilapidated and was built in a waterlogged area that has resulted in the collapse of some classrooms."
A classroom of a school in Hammanskraal collapsed on Monday while other classrooms are in a waterlogged area.
The Gauteng Department of Education says it will dispatch a team of structural engineers to conduct an assessment at Sekampaneng primary school in Temba, Hammanskraal.
Steve Mabona from the department said the school is literally sinking into the ground, especially now with the recent rains.
Mabona said the department is aware and concerned about the infrastructure challenges at the said school.
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“We will dispatch a team of structural engineers to conduct an assessment. Upon completion, a report and the associated Bills of Quantities will be provided for implementation.
“We will deliver mobile units in due course for learners to use while working on fixing the school. The department will continue to monitor the situation at the school and intervene accordingly.”
On Thursday, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education Khume Ramulifho said a block of 10 classrooms at the school are not in use as one classroom has collapsed on Monday while others are in a waterlogged area.
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Ramulifho said some of the classroom’s walls have cracks and pose a safety risk for both learners and teachers, leaving the school in a dire state.
“This school, which was built by the community, is old and dilapidated and was built in a waterlogged area that has resulted in the collapse of some classrooms.
“The school has over 2 400 learners, the classrooms are severely overcrowded and not conducive for learning and teaching. It is unacceptable as our learners are being denied the dignity of learning in an adequate environment.”
Ramulifho said this situation has risen because of the department’s failure to fix the school’s infrastructure and to conduct regular oversight and monitoring of schools.
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“The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi provide the school with temporary mobile classrooms to ensure that learning and teaching continue in a conducive environment without any disruptions.
“We further advise the MEC to conduct soil testing at this school to ensure that the temporary mobile classrooms are not in an area saturated with water.
He said it is the responsibility of the department to eradicate all the ageing infrastructure and ensure that schools have adequate classrooms, learning materials and equipment.
“The DA is urging MEC Lesufi to attend to this matter urgently as learners are already denied access to quality basic education due to rotational learning and teaching system.”
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On Thursday, parents of the learners in Sekampaneng primary school protested outside Die Hoërskool Wonderboom as all the heads and departmental representatives were meeting at the school.
The parents wanted to hand over a mandate to the director of the district demanding that the department build a new school.
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