DA calls on MEC Lesufi to prioritise fixing aging school infrastructure

2 March 2020

Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, Khume Ramulifho MPL, DA Benoni Constituency Head, Haseena Ismail MP and DA Ward 73 Councillor, Sinethemba Matiwane conducted an oversight inspection at the Verkenner Primary School in Benoni, Ekurhuleni.

We discovered that the school requires an urgent refurbishment because the infrastructure is aging and in many cases, collapsing.

The department made a commitment to refurbish the school five years ago, but it has not yet materialized.

The school is 74 years old and has severe infrastructure problems. The classroom roofs are leaking, and the ceilings of the school hall have collapsed.

The floor tiles are loose and broken. There are also cracks in the walls and structural pillars that are supporting the classrooms are no longer stable.

Furthermore, the department has promised, year after year, to fix the school but this has not happened.

This school infrastructure poses a safety risk for both learners and teachers.

It is unacceptable that the department returned R250 million of its’ infrastructure budget last year yet the school’s infrastructure is aging and deteriorating.

It’s high time that the department utilizes its’ infrastructure budget appropriately to fix dilapidated school infrastructure across the province.

The DA is calling on the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi to fix the school as a matter of urgency. We will also table questions in the Gauteng Legislature to ascertain when this school will be fixed.

Issued by Khume Ramulifho,DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, 2 March 2020