Learners and teachers from Lindile Secondary School returned to school after the Easter holidays to the good news as sources at the school said the Mpumalanga Department of Education (DoE) has allocated R9 million for renovations.
Calls to the DoE from the Highvelder to confirm the reports, were not answered at time of going to print.
However, if true, it will be a welcome relief to learners and the community at large.
The school has been in turmoil after teachers stopped presenting classes on 6 March because a sewerage pump on the premises burst and sewerage flowed towards the school’s kitchen.
Kitchen workers closed the kitchen down, fearing food would be contaminated.
This is apparently a regular problem at the school, leaving the 30-year-old school with an unbearable stench.
Also Read: Teachers halt classes due to sewage and dilapidated buildings in Lindile Secondary School
Dilapidated buildings also contributed to the closure as teachers were of the opinion that the buildings posed a threat to their well as the learners lives.
The Department of Environment visited the school at the time and confirmed the school was not safe in terms of health and safety.
Learners were forced to miss two weeks of school, prompting the community of Wesselton to take a stand.
They marched to the DoE district offices in Ermelo on 16 March to hand over a memorandum to the management and the Msukaligwa Municipality and demanded that action is taken to fix the school.
After the march, a lengthy meeting was held between the community, learners and teachers.
It was agreed upon that the school should be reopened as learners were falling behind on the school curriculum.
At the time, the municipality promised to get a contractor on site on 27 March to deal with the sewage pump.
Also Read: [VIDEO] Protest in Ermelo over the dire situation at Lindile Secondary School
According to a teacher, this has yet to materialise.
Altogether 12 classes have been rendered unusable with the school using lab centres and the staff-room to present classes.
When the Highvelder visited the school, the sewage was still overflowing.
“The situation is not conductive to learning, but we have no choice but to continue with the school program,” a teacher, Mr Mbali Cindi, said.
The situation at Lindile has been boiling under the surface for years with environmental groups calling for it to be attended to.
The school is at a disadvantage with it being situated near a sewage plant.
According to Msukaligwa Municipality’s spokesman, Mr Mandla Zwane, all the sewage from Ermelo flows to the plant, causing a permanent stench in the area.
Mr Zwane also said with ageing infrastructures and the population increase, blockages are bound to happen, but Government is doing all it can to come up with solutions.
