LIMPOPO – The Limpopo department of education continues to turn a blind eye on the death trap and ticking time bomb that Mammpa Primary School in Ga-Molepo near Turfloop has become. This, while the lives of teachers and more importantly that of the learners remain in great danger.
These were the words of Jacques Smalle, DA Limpopo leader, in a media statement on Tuesday.
“The roof of the three out of the six dilapidated classrooms is on the verge of collapsing . Roof sheets hang from rotten planks.
‘This clearly contravenes Section 28 (f) (ii) of the Constitution and it puts the lives of 191 learners at risk,” said Smalle.
He said the school made many requests on all the required departmental levels, including the office of the previous three MECs, but there was no reaction.
“Following a tip-off from concerned parents, these appalling conditions were made known to the party during a sight visit to the school.
“This is one of innumerable problems facing the department in the province.
“Mammpa School’s dilemma is a classic example of lack of leadership and poor management which continues to haunt the department.”
“To this day, the department has failed to account and hold the relevant officials responsible for the duplication of multi million rand, state of the art schools that have since became white elephants while other communities do not even have proper school infrastructure.
The DA will meet the education MEC and demand immediate solutions to this problem, said Smalle.
“The DA’s vision is that any child born into a disadvantaged family background is still able to receive goods and services that are crucial for their well-being and improves their standard of living. Every child should have access to food, healthcare and the education they need to learn, grow and be exposed to the best possible opportunities for the future.
“This is the premise on which the DA continues to fight and champion the interests of all learners particularly those in quantile 1-3, who have been severely neglected by the education department in the province.”