Angry parents want Mpumalanga Department of Education to re-open school
Trichardtsfontein farm owner not pleased with existing rental agreement.
TRICHARDT – Parents of pupils from Trichardtsfontein Combined School blamed the Mpumalanga Department of Education on Friday, 8 August for the closing of the school.
It was closed on Friday, 1 August after the land owner on whose farm the school is situated, Mr Jan Brits, sent a court order through his lawyers that the school must be closed after he had tried several times to negotiate a new lease agreement with the department.
The school was established on the farm in March 2004.
Members of the School Governing Body (SGB) said the department had an agreement with the previous owner, Ecencico (Pty) Ltd, to pay R120 000 rent.
They said Mr Brits was not pleased with the existing rental agreement and tried to negotiate with the department for a new contract, but without success.
Mr Maandag Mahlangu, chairman of the SGB, was worried that the pupils are missing out on classes because of the deadlock between the department and Mr Brits.
“The Department of Education must resolve the problem and think about the future of our children.”
The Echo and the Ridge Times contacted Mr Jasper Zwane, spokesman for the Department of Education, on Wednesday, 30 July and he said they obtained a court order that is preventing the farmer from interfering with school activities.
“The issue here is that the department had a contract with the previous owner who sold the farm to Mr Brits.
“The new owner needed to enter into a contractual agreement with the department, but at the time he was not willing to do so, hence this development.”
Mr Brits’ lawyer, Ms Adri van Schalkwyk, said: “We have received a copy of a Notice of Motion, an intention of the Department of Education to bring an urgent application in order to open the school again, at about 10.30pm on Saturday night, 2 August via e-mail.
“I have only seen it on Sunday night at 8pm.
“The notice has not been issued by the court and we are unsure at this stage if this is a real application and due to this intention from the Department of Education, this matter is now sub judice and therefore we cannot comment at this stage.
“Our client is not the culprit but the victim.”
