Learners at Centurion’s Lyttelton Primary School will stay in temporary mobile classrooms while ground instability keeps damaged facilities shut and stalls an ongoing upgrade project.

The temporary arrangements will remain until a permanent solution is implemented and the affected facilities are deemed safe.

Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana said the affected classrooms were not being used and access to unsafe areas remained controlled while teaching and learning continued.

Lubhelwana confirmed that the sinkhole occurred on site in March this year, prompting emergency safety measures and the appointment of specialist geotechnical engineers.

“Further detailed geotechnical investigations are required to determine the full extent of the dolomitic instability, the potential for future sinkhole activity and the most suitable long-term rehabilitation solution,” he said.

He said the investigations depended on funding approval, which remained under consideration through government processes.

Lubhelwana said the delay in the project was linked to the sinkhole and investigations needed to determine the engineering interventions.

Timelines for completing the studies, resuming construction and finalising the refurbishment would only be set once investigations and funding approvals were concluded.

He acknowledged the impact on the school community and said the department would keep it informed.

Geological studies required

The update follows an earlier response from the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development on October 30, which told Rekord construction had been halted while it sought funding for geological studies to establish the underground formation’s extent and possible damage to school buildings.

Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) MEC spokesperson Theo Nkonki previously said the department was working with the GDE to secure funding.

He explained that although the sinkhole affected one section of the school, its underground extent could be considerably larger than what was visible on the surface.

Nkonki said construction could not continue elsewhere until the department established whether the surrounding ground was stable.

He warned that heavy equipment could pose a safety risk before the formation’s extent was understood.

Nkonki said: “The findings would guide changes to the construction programme and determine which parts could safely proceed.”

Delays plague refurbishment

In February this year, Nkonki told Rekord the refurbishment, which began on March 9, 2025, was about 28% complete, with R11.2m spent of the R42.6m project value.

He attributed earlier delays to non-payment of local labourers and subcontractors, which affected productivity and led to replacements.

The department had also introduced an infrastructure delivery team to strengthen oversight and intervene in struggling projects.

At the time, Nkonki had expected completion by July, but that deadline has passed with the project still incomplete due to the sinkhole.

He previously confirmed expenditure remained at about R11.2m, as no work had taken place since the sinkhole incident.

No updated completion percentage or outstanding-work breakdown was provided.

The refurbishment aims to address long-standing infrastructure problems at the school, which is on dolomitic ground.

Work includes upgrades to classrooms, ablutions, a computer laboratory, a combi court and tennis court, plus civil, mechanical and electrical services, architectural finishes, water storage and a pump station.

Ward 57 councillor Jack Page, who visited the site on October 26, told Rekord the sinkhole had formed outside the parking area near a classroom block.

He expressed concern that the project remained incomplete months after its anticipated completion date.

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