Maimane loses bid to halt school’s reopening but DA wants Diepsloot schools closed down

One South Africa chief activist Mmusi Maimane has suffered a blow in the Pretoria High Court after his bid to suspend the reopening of schools for a period of 60 days was turned down, as it could lead to further delays in the right to further education.

Maimane had argued that schools he had visited were severely underprepared to open in facing the coronavirus pandemic. The schools did not have the necessary resources and, as a result, were unable to put adequate measures in place to combat the virus and protect pupils.

Meanwhile, Maimane’s former political party the DA wants Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi to close down all schools in Diepsloot due to the schools not having running water.

“Diepsloot has been without electricity for about eight days and as a result, there is no pressure to pump running water for the schools’ toilets and water taps.

“The water tanks are being delivered to the schools every day however they cannot supply water for the toilets.

“The fact that there is no running water at these schools and that both learners and teachers are unable to use the toilets and wash their hands is unhygienic,” the party said in a statement.

The schools in the area are clearly non-compliant with Covid-19 school regulations and the party calls on Lesufi to close down schools in the area as a preventative measure.

“The department should also engage with both the City of Johannesburg and Eskom to ensure that electricity is restored, and the water pressure problem is resolved in Diepsloot to ensure conducive learning and teaching environments.”

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