Pupils and teachers at Tholimfundo Primary School in Soweto will have to wait until late next year for new classes to be completed at their unfinished school which was first built 21 years ago.
This was revealed by the chief director of infrastructure in the Gauteng department of education Khensani Baloyi during a meeting with the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Thursday at the school in Protea Glen.
Tholimfundo was opened in 2000 after the first phase, containing of 13 classrooms, admin block and toilets, was completed. Since then parents, teachers and pupils have been waiting to see the second phase of the construction of the school which would include the construction 14 more classes among other things.
Baloyi told the commission that the school was opened with just a few classes because the demand at that time required so. Also, the department was trying to build more schools in different township to spread its limited budget wide. But over the years, more people have moved into Protea, placing pressure on the number of schools available in the area.
Baloyi revealed that the Gauteng education department only started the process of getting new classes in Tholimfundo in 2018. The Gauteng department of infrastructure development was assigned as an implementing agent of the project, he said.
However, the department realised that the infrastructure development department was slow and it moved the project to the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) in November 2021.
“In terms of DBSA, the advert for the appointment of professional service providers [consultants] of the projects is due to be posted on February 18. Cost estimates finalisation is expected in early August of 2022 with detailed design concluded. Tender documents will be finalised by November 1 2022 and the advert for contractors will be on November 9 2022.
“The tender will close on December 8 2022…The appointment of a contractor will be on January 31 2023,” Baloyi said.
Last week, Sowetan reported about the plight of pupils and teachers at Tholimfundo who have to use 14 mobile classrooms which they said are not conducive for learning.
The school also has a problem of sanitation as over 1,000 children use a few brick and mortar toilets which now and again malfunction. A total of six chemical mobile toilets have been brought to the school but the school governing body and teachers have complained that they are not safe.
During the visit at the school, teachers informed the commission that the department of labour arrived on Monday and switched off electricity in the new 14 mobile classrooms because they found it not to be safe.
The mobile classrooms had live wires hanging which posed a threat to children. The meeting was held at one of the old unused mobile classroom in which a snake was discovered a few years ago. It was so hot inside that some people could not take the heat and chose to wait outside.
In its reply to Sowetan questions this week, Gauteng department of education said plans are afoot to improve basic infrastructure at the school which will include additional classes, toilets, a laboratory, library, nutrition centre and sports facilities.
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