A fire that tore through several asbestos classrooms at Eersterust Secondary School in September has triggered months of frustration, anxiety, and unanswered questions for parents, educators, and community leaders.

Although the blaze left no physical injuries, its aftermath has exposed deeper structural and administrative failures that continue to put children and staff at risk.

As the remains of burnt asbestos lie scattered across the grounds, the school community waits for decisive action that has yet to materialise.

In the weeks following the fire, officials from the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) assured the school that clean-up operations would begin immediately.

Those assurances have not been fulfilled, according to community leaders.

Instead, the hazardous material remains untouched and uncontained, while children continue to attend classes metres away from the debris.

Community members say repeated requests for health screenings have been ignored, despite fears that asbestos dust may have been released during and after the fire.

The school’s broken perimeter fence also remains unrepaired, allowing easy access to the contaminated area.

With the 2026 academic year approaching and no clear plan for accommodating the incoming Grade 8 learners, parents say the situation has reached a breaking point.

Asked why the asbestos debris has not yet been removed, GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona said the delay is due to outstanding regulatory clearance.

According to him, “The contractor still awaits to get the necessary approval for removing asbestos material.”

On when a certified asbestos-removal team will be deployed, he added only that work will begin, ‘after getting the relevant approvals’.

Despite growing fears of exposure, Mabona stated that precautions are currently in place. Responding to questions about protective measures for learners and staff, he said, “The area is cordoned off.”

However, parents and school representatives have long disputed this account, saying the site remains fully accessible.

When pressed on the absence of health screenings, Mabona said, “The municipal Health Department only recommended enclosure of the area.”

The damaged school fence remains another unresolved issue.

Mabona said, “The contractor will be on site after the finalisation of tender processes.”

The timeline for that process remains unclear.

Concerns about the 2026 Grade 8 intake have also intensified. With classrooms destroyed and no temporary structures provided, the community has repeatedly asked how the new cohort of learners will be accommodated.

Mabona stated, “The School Governing Body (SGB) is fixing the other three unused classrooms to accommodate [the] Grade 8 learner intake.”

This assertion has been contested by the SGB and community leaders, who say no such repairs are taking place.

On the issue of furniture lost in the fire, Mabona said, “The school already received a delivery of chairs.”

These statements have prompted a response from the Eersterust Community Development Forum (ECDF), which, alongside the SGB and parents, issued a detailed correction to Mabona’s statement.

In a formal statement dated December 6, ECDF -Arnold Adams said several aspects of the GDE’s comments are false and misrepresent the situation on the ground.

Addressing the claim that the asbestos site is secured, Adams stated, “The GDE stated that the asbestos-contaminated area is ‘cordoned off.’ This is false. On December 6, the school confirmed that the asbestos remains fully exposed and not enclosed, placing learners, staff, and visitors at continuous risk.”

He further commented on Mabona’s assertion that the SGB is repairing classrooms for the 2026 intake.

According to Adams, “This is factually incorrect.”

He said the SGB lacks both the financial means and the legal authority to repair classrooms containing asbestos.
Adams added that Eersterust Secondary is a non-fee-paying school with no budget for such repairs and stressed that structures containing asbestos can only be handled by certified specialists.

The forum’s statement also disputed Mabona’s claim that new furniture has been delivered.

Adams stated, “The GDE statement claims that the school already received a delivery of chairs. This is again false.”

He said the SGB confirmed that neither chairs nor tables have been delivered, despite long-standing commitments to provide them.

He added that the shortage of basic classroom furniture has severely compromised learning.

On safety measures, Adams said the GDE’s response fails to reflect the conditions at the school.

He said safety concerns remain unresolved, noting that the perimeter fence has not been repaired and the asbestos area is still exposed.

He stressed that security personnel currently stationed at the school were provided by the provincial Department of Community Safety, not the GDE, leaving the education department’s role in question. They are also only available during the day.

A clarification was also issued by Adams regarding plans for temporary classrooms. Adams rejected the GDE’s claim that the SGB is preparing classrooms for Grade 8 learners.

He said, “The GDE statement incorrectly claims that the SGB is preparing classrooms for Grade 8 intake in 2026.”

According to him, the national Department of Basic Education (DBE) conducted an in-person inspection on December 2 to identify space for mobile classrooms.

During that visit, DBE officials committed to delivering four mobile units during the week ending December 6.

Materials have been delivered during the week of December 10 for the construction of mobile classrooms.

Adams explained that these mobile classrooms, not SGB repairs, are intended to house the incoming learners.

In a concluding appeal, Adams urged the GDE to correct misinformation and take immediate action.

“In light of the above, the ECDF, its partners, and the school community call upon the Gauteng Department of Education to urgently take the following actions:

“Correct the factual inaccuracies issued in the December 5 media response, secure and remove asbestos debris in accordance with legal and environmental standards, deliver the promised furniture required for effective teaching and learning, repair the school’s perimeter fence and address outstanding safety issues.

They must also “ensure the DBE-delivered mobile classrooms are installed and operational before the start of the 2026 academic year, engage in transparent, continuous communication with the school community to prevent further misrepresentation, and provide clear, transparent timelines on the full rebuild of the school.”

Adams added that the school community also expects detailed project milestones and firm dates for the long-promised rebuild.

He concluded that the forum and its partners remain committed to co-operation, but said true collaboration requires honesty, accuracy, and urgency.

His closing words reiterated the community’s core demand: that the learners of Eersterust Secondary School receive the safe, dignified, and functional learning environment to which they are entitled.

The Gauteng Department was given the right to reply to the forum’s statement, but no comment was received by the time of publication.

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