Teaching and learning at Kliptown Primary School in Eldorado Park came to a halt on Thursday morning when parents and community members took a stand against the hazardous and deplorable conditions of the 60-year-old asbestos school.
This protest unfolded on the first day of school, with reports indicating that learners were seen lifting heavy furniture in a desperate attempt to prepare their classrooms.
On Thursday, scores of parents reported to the school and shut it down, preventing the more than 700 learners from attending school.
The issue of asbestos in schools has been under scrutiny for some time. According to a report released last year, 29 schools in Gauteng were found to contain structural materials with asbestos, and many others nationwide are in a similar predicament.
Once a widely used construction material in South Africa during the 1970s and 80s, asbestos has long been recognised for its severe health risks, particularly for children.
Lerato Chirwa, a mother of a Grade 1 learner, expressed her anguish, describing the conditions at Kliptown as “inhumane”.
She conveyed the fear and frustration shared by many parents, stating: “I am angry as a parent because of the less than humane conditions at the school. Our children will definitely get ill if not already ill, while some others will die due to these conditions and failing infrastructure.”
Chirwa’s comments highlight a pressing issue; the school’s lack of facilities extends beyond the classrooms, with no kitchen for catering staff and administrative offices for the principal and her deputy reportedly non-existent.
Dwain Ponsonby, the councillor for Ward 17, voiced the frustrations of parents and community members, revealing that attempts to engage with the provincial Education Department and the Premier’s Office have yet to result in any meaningful dialogue.
“No one has responded to our pleas. The parents are standing here and the gate has been shut. No one has even attempted to respond to us,” he lamented.
He further illustrated the perceived marginalisation of Eldorado Park, especially towards the coloured community, adding: “Just yesterday, they (the department) went on a whole road show on the school readiness programme... They could have taken that money and fixed this school, because there are real problems here.
“Once again, the community of Eldorado Park, and coloureds in particular, is still being marginalised and we are still being pushed aside. We are not being taken seriously.”
Amid this strife, Neville Williams, a parent and a community leader involved in an appointed crisis committee, accused the provincial government of evading the issue rather than tackling it head-on.
“They want to pacify us and speak off line. We are not going to allow that to happen. We will not speak in boardrooms. We want them to come out here and address this issue,” Williams asserted, demanding action for the welfare of the children.
In response to the building’s deteriorating conditions, the provincial Education Department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, assured concerned parents during a visit to the school that help is on the way.
“A service provider has already been appointed to begin the work of water, electricity and other connections, including sanitation,” he stated.
He also mentioned additional contractors tasked with installing new infrastructure while emphasising a timeline that aims for renovations to be completed by Monday to ensure teaching and learning can resume by Tuesday.
“The only outstanding thing would be paving, which should not be an impediment,” Mabona stated following a brief meeting with the parents.
Mabona indicated that budgetary constraints have made it difficult for the provincial government to attend to all 27 outstanding asbestos schools across the province.
“We have built two new schools and we will be building more schools. We still have to demolish and build... It is unfortunate that some of the things took longer which systematically, we need to fix,“ he added.