WATCH: Barcelona Primary School classrooms set alight

Teaching and learning have been halted at Barcelona Primary School following the burning of six classrooms, allegedly by angry community members on August 2.

This follows their frustrations towards the Department of Education for allegedly turning a blind eye to their demands for a new school.

The Benoni City Times published an article in February in which SGB members claimed that in 2017 they were told by the department that a budget of R210m was approved for the building of a new school.

We visited the school and found it is indeed in a dire state. Containers being used as classrooms have holes in the floors and cracked walls.

Responding to questions sent by the City Times in February, Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona assured the community of its commitment to fulfiling the undertaking to deliver on the rebuilding of the school.

“To this effect, the project team is finalising stage four,” he said.

At the time, he said advertising was planned for February 28 while a 90-day validity period to give allowance for tender evaluation and appointment of the contractor was planned for May 31.

He mentioned that it was planned for a contractor to hand over the site by June 8.

Also Read: Barcelona Primary SGB, parents demand new school

Some of the angry residents who protested outside the school on August 2 said they are tired of pleading with the Department of Education, hence they’ve taken matters into their own hands.

Community members barricaded the road with burning tyres and large stones while police officers were on standby monitoring the situation.

One of the community leaders Mpho Nyembe (72) said they’ve engaged the department since 2016 but to date, it hasn’t fulfilled its promises.

“Barcelona Primary School is one of the oldest in Etwatwa but there hasn’t been any development taking place.

“Our children and teachers have been injured inside the classrooms due to the collapsing floors and still the department hasn’t made efforts to rectify anything.

“We are tired of talking. We want the department to start immediately with the processes of building a new school,” said Nyembe.

According to the deputy chairperson of the SGB, Nogolide Zadunge, in their efforts to get answers about what happened to the allocated budget, parents went to the head office of the Department of Education in Johannesburg to hand over a memorandum earlier this year but still, there has been no progress.

The former SGB chairperson of the school, Fraser Komane, said two classrooms and the guard room were torched by residents on August 2 and over the next two days two classrooms per day were burnt to ashes.

According to Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona, the department is aware of the situation and confirms that the designs were approved and are awaiting final approval by the building control office of the City of Ekurhuleni.

“Sadly, an administration block and grade R classes were torched, allegedly by the community, which is regrettable. We implore members of the community not to disrupt schooling.

“It must be noted that the site is zoned for educational use and the estimated request for advert date is the end of August,” said Mabona.

Mabona added that they will continue to monitor the situation accordingly.

Also Read: Safe to School – Safe to Home initiative supported by Road Safety Partnership

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