Operations at Kuyasa Primary School are expected to return to normal tomorrow, after sewage overflow on the school grounds has impacted learning and teaching.
As a result, learners have been attending school since last Friday, with some joining upset parents and educators who protested that day, demanding that the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) take action.
The Khayelitsha Development Forum’s Mawande Jara said the issue was especially concerning because they felt that the WCED was shifting blame.
“That’s a very big concern for us, as a community. And we are very much not happy with the way in which the Department of Education is handling the matter… They keep on shifting the blame that this is the [Department] of Infrastructure that was supposed to deal with the [sewage] that is all over the school, and that has led parents to call for suspension of school,” said Jara.
Jara noted that the WCED has committed to getting learners back in class by Wednesday to address the issue, which department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond confirmed has taken place.
“Emergency cleaning and sanitisation has been carried out, and work is being finalised [on Tuesday], with the school expected to resume normal operations [on Wednesday],” said Hammond.
She noted that while initially thought to be a municipal issue, it was later found to be an issue within the school’s property, adding that it was addressed with urgency.
“While previous overflows were linked to municipal sewer lines, the latest incident appears at this stage to be a separate issue within the school’s own sewerage system.”
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, confirmed that his department was not responsible for addressing this issue. He said the City’s teams investigated the matter, and it was found that, because it was located within the school’s property, it is not a “municipal service issue”.
“The school is therefore responsible for appointing a private, suitably qualified plumber to attend to and clear the blockages on its property. The City is not responsible for resolving blockages occurring within privately owned properties,” said Badroodien.
Hammond further noted that department representatives will visit the school at some point, some reports suggest Wednesday morning, to assess the situation before further investigations get underway.
“Once the cleanup process has been completed and the area has been thoroughly assessed, further investigations will determine the precise cause of the latest spill and whether any additional interventions are required.”
