Hlalelani school on the brink of collapse

What used to be the cleanest and most admirable school in Waterval is now on the brink of collapse.

Some of the classrooms at the Hlalelani Primary School don’t have a roof any more. The roof was extensively damaged during a storm in August 2013. Floors inside some of the classrooms have holes in them and the toilets are in a state of decay.

Efforts by the school to try and fix the damage have been in vain, as the extent of the problem is simply too big. This has left the school governing body (SGB) and parents wondering if the state of the sanitation and classrooms is suitable for their children’s daily learning. 

The chairperson of the SGB, Mr Andy Munyai, said they had alerted the Limpopo Department of Education on numerous occasions in an attempt to fix the school, but to no avail.

“We have sent many letters to the department, hoping the situation will be solved, but nothing has happened,” said Mr Munyai. The school currently accommodates 578 pupils from Waterval.
“The department promised us last year that they would start renovating the school this year, whilst the pupils will be using temporary mobile classes,” said Munyai.

One of the teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the school had not been renovated since its inception in 1981. “They recently promised us that they would renovate the buildings, but nothing has happened. The inspector even visited the school, but we are still waiting,” said the teacher. 

The spokesperson of the Limpopo Department of Education, Mr Paena Galane, said that  the department was facing a backlog in terms of repairing infrastructure. “It is well known that our budget has been reduced. This school, however, is one of many schools that will be fixed this year,” said Mr Galane.

He added that more than 387 schools in the province had already been completed since the beginning of this year.

Date:04 March 2015

By: Phathutshedzo Luvhengo

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