Protest against asbestos exposure at local school from 9am
Learners to protest against asbestos exposure at Randfontein Secondary School from 9am today.
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, Khume Ramulifho, will lead a protest at Randfontein Secondary School in Toekomsrus from 9am on Thursday.
According to an official statement released, a memorandum of demands will be handed over to the representative of the Gauteng Education Department on behalf of the community.
Jacques Julius, DA member of Parliament said, “Instead of demolishing the asbestos school building, the Gauteng Department of Education (and by extension the Department of Infrastructure Development) simply built a brick wall around it.
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“The asbestos material is still exposed on the inside of classes with some panels even broken, openly exposing learners to this hazardous material. Asbestos as building material was banned in 2008. Building around an asbestos building is extremely hazardous to the health of learners and teachers at this school.
Learners and teachers may develop asbestosis – a lung disease caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibres. It is grossly negligent of the department to not fast-track the process of demolishing asbestos-containing schools.”
Julius said Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, is aware of the dangers, yet the situation is still left unattended.
“The Department of Education already missed the deadline of 29 November 2016 to eradicate all asbestos school buildings in Gauteng. The DA demands that MEC Lesufi visit the school within seven days so that he can provide the community, learners and teachers with answers as to why this school was not earmarked to be entirely rebuilt.
“MEC Lesufi must immediately act to address this situation and provide the community with feedback. The DA believes that learners and teachers deserve a safe, dignified and conducive learning environment.”
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