RUS-TER-VAAL.- The Rus-Ter-Vaal Secondary School learners are said to be exposed to unhealthy hazardous conditions due to the GDE’s failure to prioritise the eradication of asbestos infrastructure at the school. It is said that the 53-year-old school has 1132 learners and has been issued a non-compliance certificate by the Department of Labour due to asbestos infrastructure and overcrowding in classrooms. The contractor is said to have abandoned the project that was supposed to be completed in February 2022.

Sedibeng Ster reported about another project, costing R34 million, at Frikkie Meyer Primary School in Vanderbijlpark that was supposed to have been finished long ago but was still to be completed.

At the Rus-ter-Vaal Secondary School it is said that there are over seventy learners in some classrooms which affects the rendering of quality learning and teaching and that there has been no clear communication from the department or contractor as to why the construction has been abandoned but instead, there is a blame game going on and that each year, since 2018, contractors have been switched and changed. This has apparently resulted in the project incurring more costs.

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Khume Ramulifho, Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education conducted an oversight inspection at the school on Monday and said that he was disappointed to discover that the construction of the newly built brick-and-mortar school is still incomplete.
“MEC Lesufi should account for delays in the completion of this school and consequence management should also be implemented for all the officials implicated in this project.”

The DA said that it proposes that the Department of Education take control of all its infrastructure projects from the Department of Infrastructure Development as this will ensure that all schools are completed within the stipulated timelines and on budget.
“This will also ensure that all major maintenance of our schools is done timely without inconveniencing learning and teaching.”