Joburg autism school hit by water outage

The ongoing water challenges at the Johannesburg School for Autism have left parents frustrated that their special needs children, who are used to structure, are now at home, irritated at the change in their routine.

There has been no teaching and learning at the school since Wednesday morning, after parents were told to collect their children as there was no water.

The Gauteng education department is in the dark over why the school has no water.

“We don’t know what the problem is, but once we have the information, we will send you the responses,” said spokesperson Steve Mabona. However, he had not responded by the time of publication.

One parent said she was forced to miss work to look after her child at home as he could not go to school.

Another parent, Busisiwe Mhlanga, 49, said she had no choice but to leave her son locked in the house alone while she went to work on Thursday. 

“My heart is divided. I cannot concentrate at work knowing my son is alone. I made sure to switch off the main switch in the house and remove all the heaters. That means he’s in the cold, but at least I know I’ll find him alive and not in a burnt-down house,” she said. 

“When I returned home, it was a mess. The dishes were out, [and] it was like someone was breaking in. He was frustrated and kept asking me why he’s not going to school.”

Mhlanga said her son cannot stay alone for long, and she usually only leaves him for two hours on Sundays under controlled conditions. “Today [Monday] I had to lie at work just so I can leave early. This is not sustainable.”

Nomzamo Ngema, 36, is in a similar situation. She missed work on Thursday to stay home with her 16-year-old son. “If this continues, I will have to call the nanny who usually looks after him, but that means extra money I did not budget for,” she said.

The nanny charges R23.50 per hour, which adds up to R211.50 per day. “If this continues for a week, I will have to spend over R1,000 I don’t have,” Ngema said. 

She added that her son, who has severe autism, struggles with changes in routine. “He knows the school closes on June 27 and was prepared for that. But this unexpected change will frustrate him and make him aggressive. I wish I could take him to a school closer to home in Soweto, but there’s a long waiting list. I’m stuck.” 

According to the WhatsApp messages received by the parents yesterday morning from the school’s principal, the Gauteng education department has supplied the school with four JoJo tanks.

“However, because water was cut off before they could finish the connection so that water can run, we are at the step where the connection has to be completed, and then water tankers can bring water to fill the tanks,” the principal said. “The school is not ready to have learners back until water is restored.”

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