Pupils sit at home three months after sinkhole swallows parts of school

Schooling has remained interrupted at Relebogile Secondary School with only matriculants attending classes after the school was damaged by a sinkhole three months ago.

The DA joined the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Wednesday for an oversight visit to the school in Khutsong, West Rand. Parts of the school, including the toilets, collapsed into a sinkhole after heavy rains in February. The area is known for dolomite and is prone to sinkholes. 

The remaining pupils have not been attending school since it was damaged, DA Gauteng shadow MEC for education Khume Ramulifho said during the visit.

Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane told the Gauteng legislature last month that pupils from the school were moved to Khutsong South Primary School.

This was to ensure learning for grade 8s to 10s takes place on a rotational timetable.  

But Ramulifho said this was not true. 

“[Chiloane] misled us. There was no schooling since February 9. [Pupils] are sitting at home. Only teachers were reporting to the primary school,” he told TimesLIVE.

He said the department had reassured that all pupils would return to school by Tuesday and that geotechnical scientists forecast it would take nearly four years to repair and close the sinkhole.

“We note some interventions by the department since our last oversight visit at the school, however, there has been slow progress in constructing an alternative structure to accommodate all the [pupils],” he said.

The DA has accused Chiloane of violating the rights of the pupils to basic education.

Ramulifho said the MEC was aware of the situation but failed to provide alternative accommodation for learning timeously.

Chiloane said a property adjacent to the school had been identified to accommodate the pupils while long-term interventions are planned.

In the meantime, the department appointed a contractor to supply mobile classrooms to the school.

“The department is committed to ensure that access to teaching and learning happens in a conducive environment. To this end, the department has continued to prepare a decanting site to ensure operational continuity while long-term solutions are being explored,” said the MEC.

Ramulifho said he would put pressure on the department to make public the geotechnical scientists’ report to ensure all those affected know and understand the impact.

“The DA demands to know what plans are in place to ensure that all [pupils] will attend school to avoid a high dropout rate in the province. These [pupils] have not been at school for three months, and we fear some will not return, adding to the Gauteng high dropout rate.”

“We will continue to monitor the investigation by the SAHRC to ensure that the MEC is held to account for depriving [pupils] of access to education for three months,” said Ramulifho.

TimesLIVE