Ward 97 school to be finished in 2015

A parallel-medium primary government school in Radiokop was scheduled to open in January 2015, but the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) brought the plans to a halt.

Ward 97 councillor Jaco Engelbrecht explained that the school failed to meet EIA regulations.

District physical resources planner Masilo Matsapolai said, “The project was delayed by a request from the Municipality for the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) to submit drawings of the school. These are in the process of being approved as GDE has appointed a representative to specifically deal with this matter.”

He continued and said that Pro-Plan, a GDE consulting company, was instructed to organise a geotech report on the school site because it’s on agricultural land.

Engelbrecht said, “The delay in the construction of this school is extremely frustrating and leaves one with a sense of incredulity at the lack of planning behind it all. How does a national department announce to the public that it will build schools and then, after the earth-moving is done and a security company appointed, at tax payer’s expense, you are suddenly out of your depth because the local government requested plans?”

The councillor also added that the much-anticipated school in Ward 97 would be the first in Roodepoort since 1994.

He said that in itself is astonishing when one considers the population growth in the area since that time.

“This debacle is a symptom of years of neglect and disregard by the Department of Education of its statutory mandate to provide schooling and school facilities to the people of Gauteng. This department gets a fail,” he added.

Matsapolai promised that the school’s construction will be finished this year.

“The school will still be completed in 2015 and we are collectively joining heads for the successful activation and completion of the project and we have to apologise for delaying the project a bit,” Matsapolai.