Over 100 schools have been affected by flooding in KwaZulu-Natal. Heavy rains battered the province, with the provincial Education Department having advised schools and parents on Tuesday last week to use their discretion on whether or not to send children to school.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Sihle Zikalala, who chaired the meeting, said the weather has affected the delivery of education, as several learners had to remain at home, as schools had to close because they were damaged or access was severely inhibited. Zikalala said the province has, in the meantime, activated the seasonal contingency plans of sectors, the province, and municipalities to coordinate multi-sectoral response efforts. “Coordination of efforts by all relevant stakeholders is underway, focusing on damage assessment, relief and response measures to address the immediate needs from existing arrangements and programmes within affected organs of State across the spheres,” Zikalala said.
One Chatsworth primary school, with an already compromised infrastructure was devastated to see the extent of the damages the school incurred. Montford-based Tyburn Primary School saw tragedy due to heavy rainfall twice in the last three years. The Principal, Dr Ramkelewan said that the horrific weather has impacted the school in a massive way.
“The 2019 April rains resulted in massive damages to our school infrastructure. We lost an entire block of classes. Furniture and resource materials were lost. The school no longer has a science lab. Classes had to be compressed to accommodate all pupils. The damages suffered by the school were reported to the Department of Education and the Public Works section. Our appeal for assistance in repairing the block yielded no success. Thankfully church organisations who were tenants at our school took it upon themselves to undertake some of the repairs for the benefit of the school and the pupils. In addition, concerned members of our community rallied around the school to assist in repairing damaged infrastructure. The school was also forced to pay for some repairs.
This further exacerbated the financial problems of our school,” she said. The school also reported in the past to the public works department that the foundation phase blocks were experiencing movement. The movement resulted in a worsening crack that now transversed the entire block. The staffroom is restricted as the movement has resulted in the tiles lifting and cracking. Ramkelewan said: “This is extremely sad as the school had to secure donors to refurbish the staffroom. As a school we need to afford teachers a space to socialise during their break and a space to unwind. Unfortunately, teachers are forced to eat in isolation within their own class space or meet outside.”
On Tuesday morning, Ramkelewan met the unpleasant sight of the state of the school after a stormy night of terror. “The recent heavy rain experienced from 10 April to present has impacted the school negatively. “The school is still reeling from the damages caused by the April 2019 floods where infrastructure was also extensively damaged. The storm and damages have severely affected schooling as well. “Many teachers live in the Malvern and Hillary area. The access route out of these areas has been affected by the closure of the Cavendish Bridge and Hans Dettman highway. Teachers from Marianhill and Savannah Park are also trapped by the mudslides at their homes. A teacher from Winkelspruit was also affected by the flooding on the N2. ,” she said. Many pupils from the Welbedacht area were also affected by mudslides and some have had their homes completely destroyed. Ramkelewan said that the school needs to engage in a clean-up operation. “Toilets need to be refurbished and we need material to sort out the toilets as well. School fees are not coming in due to the tragic economic and financial situations of our parents, therefore, the school does not have the capacity to undertake any repairs,” she said.
