THE site issue of Ormonde Primary School has left everyone frustrated. It is situated on two sites, zoned educational and residential. That seems to be its biggest obstacle for having reliable municipal services.
Barely a week after the school opened, it was shut down because Joburg Water cut the water.
The lack of electricity at the school is another thorny issue. Learners had no choice but to stay at home.
Several meetings have been held to resolve this matter, but for now no tangible results have been achieved.
This is the same problem the prefab school experienced last year. Deputy chair of Ormonde Primary’s school governing body, Yap Salomon, said about 1 200 learners are affected by this issue, as are the teachers. “We are experiencing these problems because someone isn’t doing his or her job. I mean, this was supposed to be resolved last year. We were looking forward to a smooth operation this year; however, we’re stuck with the same problems,” he said.
Temporary arrangements were made by the Gauteng Department of Education, especially with regards to making water available to the school. Water tanks were supplied.
Acting spokesperson for the department, Oupa Bodibe, said, “In the interim, we have made arrangements with our service providers to deliver water to the school until such time as the reconnection is concluded.
“The department would like to extend a deep and sincere apology to learners, parents and the community of Ormonde Primary, for the frustration and inconvenience caused by the shortage of water and lack of electrical connection. We’re doing everything within our power to get learners back to the school, so that learning and teaching can resume with immediate effect.”
On Thursday, January 19, MEC Panayza Lesufi said he was worried about the school and that his department is doing whatever it can to resolve this problem. “No one has the right to tell the learners not to come to school. That is a transgression. We need local government to assist. Because of the change in leadership in Johannesburg, it is difficult to resolve these problems, hence we requested Khume Ramulifho, MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, to help in arranging meetings with local authorities,” explained MEC Lesufi.
