Keotshepile Primary School still has no permanent water resources accessible.
Since 1 October, the primary school has been experiencing problems with water provision and accessibility, and two months later it remains a significant problem.
According to a reliable source, the municipality has provided the school with alternative resolutions. They delivered mobile toilets and four Jojo tanks, of which two are reported broken. Another source said scholars and educators have resorted to sharing these facilities for the past few weeks, and after they’ve used the toilets, there are no resources available to wash their hands.
Pupils also had to leave school earlier due to the water crisis.
A parent of a learner recently confirmed that there still is no water at the school.
Community members are concerned about this issue and plead to the relevant stakeholders to intervene.
Elias Malindi, the Provincial spokesperson of the Department of Education, says that they and other stakeholders have addressed the crisis. “The school was provided with mobile toilets and Jojo tanks which were not mounted, and unfortunately they were affected by the wind, and some of them broke. The problem of lack of water persisted because most of the time there was no water in the taps to fill the Jojo tanks,” said Malindi.
He further said that the department has already appointed a contractor and that the site will be handed over to the contractor by Friday (6 December). “We are awaiting the order on the purchase and installation of the new Jojo tanks that will be placed on frames to ensure they do not break,” he said.
According to Malindi, after the provision of the Jojo tanks, the department received another letter from the school’s principal informing them of the ‘acute’ lack of water from the taps.
“We then started with the processes of providing them with a borehole as well. The tender for the digging of the borehole has been advertised at a district level, and the closing date was Thursday, 29 November 2019.”
The J.B. Marks municipal spokesperson, William Maphosa says, “According to our technicians, the water level of the reservoir from which Keotshepile Primary School draws its supply is currently at 52 per cent. At that level, the school should be able to have a normal flow of water.
“The national Department of Public Works is responsible for the maintenance of all government buildings. Water storage tanks and toilets are supplied by the national Department of Education through the Department of Public Works. The responsibility of the municipality is to supply water and maintain sewer blockages on the mainline connections,” says Maphosa. He further advised the school to contact the Departments of Basic Education and Public Works to assess and attend to this crisis.
