South Africa: Storm Damaged Classrooms Left Roofless for Six Years

Ngqusi Junior Secondary school in Centane have been waiting for the education department to fix its classrooms since June 2019

In June 2019, storm winds ripped the zinc roof from a block of classrooms at Ngqusi Junior Secondary school in Centane.

The school has 135 learners from grade R to grade seven. Most parents are pensioners raising their grandchildren and survive on social grants.

Grade R and grade one were left with no classroom and had to learn outside until parents managed to fix up a classroom in 2023. They used materials they donated and maintenance funds for labour. Grades 2 and 3 share classrooms with other grades.

After the storm, provincial education department officials visited the school to assess the damage, but nothing has been done since then.

In June this year, another storm damaged the repaired classroom. The classroom was left with holes in its roof.

The school relies on rain water captured from the roof on an undamaged block of five classrooms. The roof is asbestos.

School governing body treasurer Albert Gweja said, "The officials who came here in 2019 to assess the damage told us that our water is not safe because of the asbestos, but they are not changing it."

Gweja said that since 2019 they have been in and out of the department offices asking for help.

Eastern Cape Education Department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima blamed budget constraints. He confirmed the school was assessed for asbestos and the department intends to eradicate it, depending on the availability of funds.

Mtima said the damage in June was not reported. This directly contradicts what teachers at the school told GroundUp: that they had lodged a report, were told they had not, and then lodged it a second time. GroundUp had the report and sent it to Mtima.

Mtima said the school was advised to utilise its maintenance budget as it is not on the list of schools with a dire need for additional classrooms as it is a small school. He said the existing five-classroom block is sufficient.

Read the original article on GroundUp.