Thieves take advantage of abandoned dilapidated school hall

Concerned community leaders have raised concerns about the poor state of the Oosrand Secondary School hall, saying it poses a grave risk to the community, learners and staff.

The facility has for years been left at the mercy of vandals and scrap metal thieves, who have already stripped the structure bare. The hall has been stripped of the door and window frames, pipes, electrical wires, light bulbs, ceiling, corrugated iron roof sheets, bathrooms, toilet accessories and other items.

Sources who are working closely with the school, and asked not to be named, told the Advertiser that vandalism of the structure started to rise after the facility was left unattended following the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure and Development’s ‘failed project’ to revamp it.

Apparently, as part of the project to build the newly constructed multimillion-rand state-of-the-art Oosrand Secondary School, government appointed and paid a contractor to renovate the old school hall. But, according to sources, the contractor failed to deliver the service within the projected time and budget, before abandoning the site. The developer allegedly told the department that the project went over the budget calculated at the planning stage.

Apart from the hall issue, there are many other structural problems at the school in question. These include poorly landscaped yard and sports facilities, lack of backup power system and water tanks and dysfunctional stormwater drains, which concerned residents said point to shoddy workmanship during the construction of the over a R100-million state-of-the-art school.

According to another source, revamping the hall was initially expected to costs around R2-m, but due to the delays and the ongoing vandalism, the repair cost has escalated to a projected R10-m.

It’s still unclear as to what the department is doing to try and remedy these shortcomings. The school management declined to comment on the matter and referred this publication to the spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure and Development. The Advertiser is still awaiting the department’s comment on these issues.

Another question raised by one of the concerned citizens is: Why were these issues with the project not flagged by the building inspectors appointed to monitor that construction was moving the right way, and ensure the works were completed on time and done properly?

Moved
Oosrand Secondary School learners and staff moved from the dilapidated double-storey modular school building on Goedehoop Street to their newly constructed school about six years ago.

Their new facility is located next to the old property, where the targeted hall is located.
The big move came after years of fierce fight between government and community leaders who were concerned about the safety of the school occupants, who were forced to learn and work in a crumbling school structure.

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