Crumbling infrastructure at high school in Pietermaritzburg puts lives at risk

A local high school has urged residents to stay away from its popular hall, fearing that one of the building’s sagging walls may collapse and either injure or kill anyone standing in the vicinity, reports Public Eye Pietermaritzburg.

Heather Secondary School cordoned off the area with chevron tape and a warning sign. Alongside the wall is a walkway frequented by learners, parents and guardians who commute to and from the school.

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The school’s principal, DK John, wrote to parents warning them of the “extreme danger with regards to the walls” which are in a state of near-collapse.

“Those in the vicinity of this wall face the danger of having the wall collapse onto them. Cars in the parking area close to the wall also face the same danger,” wrote John in his letter, explaining that the wall was leaning towards the pavement and that there were visible cracks indicating the upper part was likely to collapse soon.

Heather Secondary uses the hall for functions, and it is also available for hire to the public. It is used as an exam venue as well.

The school’s action to cordon off the area comes just two weeks after four learners died after a connecting bridge at Hoërskool Driehoek in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, collapsed.

While the school has taken action to keep people away from the imminent danger, the hall is apparently not owned by the department of education, but rather by the KZN department of arts and culture, who was alerted to the problem in 2015 when the first signs of structural problems started showing.

A concerned resident, who did not want to be named, said maintenance should be conducted at schools to avoid unforeseen incidents. “Children are sent to school and they should be able to learn in a safe environment. There should be regular maintenance of all buildings and classrooms,” said the member.

The parent of a Grade 9 student, who also did want to be named, said an immediate solution was needed: “They have sent letters informing us of the state of the wall that is in danger of falling but they need [to] find a solution to secure or re-enforce it before our children are injured.”

Chairperson of the Heather Secondary School Governing Body Pearl Pillay said the wall had been cordoned off on numerous occasions.

“We have cordoned the wall off on numerous occasions but the tape is always removed. We are taking the necessary precautions. We are concerned for the safety of the learners and parents. We do not want anything to happen,” said Pillay.

“Letters were sent to the department (arts and culture) from the principal since 2015. We have not heard from them at all,” said Pillay.

Ward 28 councillor, Claudelle Chetty, said she had been liaising with the school since 2015 to bring this to the attention of the department of arts and culture.

“The Heather Hall is for the use of the community and the school. I believe the wall should be repaired. It is an accident waiting to happen. It poses a danger to the learners,” she said.

“I have emails that date as far back as 2015 that were sent to the department. There have been no replies or confirmation that repairs will be done urgently. I conducted a site visit after the principal emailed me about the wall. This is a serious concern to the learners of Heather Secondary School. Something needs to be done as soon as possible. If the department is not repairing the wall, it needs to be demolished,” said Chetty.

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