Usindiso building in Johannesburg CBD on 31 August 2023. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
Almost a year after the Usindiso building fire, the children of those who survived the tragedy are not yet placed in schools, according to civil organisations.
More than 20 have not attended school since they were moved to Denver, south of Johannesburg.
Human rights activist Andy Chinnah slammed the various departments, including the Gauteng department of education, whom he said has not followed up on the report they sent in December to ensure children are in school.
“We hoped the relevant role players like disaster management, human settlements and City of Joburg officials, who were at the scene on the day of the fire, would intervene to ensure that children were attending school.
“The issue of children not being placed has been raised at the Khampepe commission of inquiry and it was hoped that officials would monitor the proceedings and taken urgent and decisive action,” Chinnah said.
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The education department produced a report in December on the status of children not attending school.
However, parents were directed to schools, only to be told there was no space, leading some placing their children in private schools they couldn’t afford, causing further dropouts.
“The process looks good on paper, but execution by various departments, including disaster management, human settlements, and the City of Joburg, is lacking. Even after a year, the Gauteng department has not placed the promised children in schools,” Chinnah said.
“The SA Human Rights Commission was alerted to the problem and apparently engaged with the department, but the situation has not been remedied.”
According to the activist, the number of affected children stood at 50, including those from the CBD living in informal settlements.
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“They are saying it is for children in Denver only, but many people have moved from Hofland park recreation to the city centre. There’s a big emphasis that those in Denver are South African nationals but the constitution is very clear: regardless of nationality, all children must attend school,” Chinnah said.
Margaret Zulu of Save the Children said the organisation was deeply concerned because of the violations of the Bill of Rights and Children’s Act and called for investigation.
“When children are not learning, they are exposed to all forms of violations in their communities.
“Being in school means accessing education and also serves as a safety net against other violations. Our understanding is the places where these children currently are, are not safe,” she said.
“We have received reports about some of these children being abused, which needs to be investigated. There are many children in the community who require access to early childhood development programmes.”
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