DA complains to HRC over run-down school

LEARNERS of Setotolwane Secondary School, which is a special needs school, will only be able to relocate to new premises in Mankweng in 2015 despite the terrible state of their current school building, which has been declared unfit for use more than a year ago.

This emerged last Tuesday after the DA shadow deputy minister of basic education, Desiree van der Walt, laid a charge against the department of education at the Human Rights Commissions (HRC) as well as the public protector and the Auditor-General.

According to the department’s spokesperson, Paena Galane, the department issued a directive to ensure that the matter was resolved as a matter of urgency.

Van der Walt told CV that the previous education MEC, Dickson Masemola and his head of department Benny Boshielo, had promised that the learners would be relocated soon in 2011, but they are still stuck at a school building that is unfit for use.

She said during a recent inspection visit to the site of the new school, investigators saw paving and railings still had to be erected, and copper cables had been stolen.

“Windows, doors, geysers, toilets, kitchen, offices, bathrooms, ceilings and fencing have been vandalised and fire hoses and extinguishers were damaged,” Van der Walt said.

“This (the new school) is a beautiful setup, but millions of rands worth of taxpayers’ money have been wasted and now our learners and teachers are denied access because they can’t move into this school when it is this kind of state.

“The public protector must investigate this matter and we will also write to the Auditor-General to ensure that the matter is taken into consideration,” Van der Walt said.

Galane said they appreciated any positive contribution towards the quality of education in the province.

He further said the project management team had produced a report and the matter received the attention it deserved.