Learners in Moretele Municipality learn in unsafe and demeaning conditions as school infrastructure deteriorates and basic services remain unreliable, raising concerns in the community.
This follows oversight visits made by the Action SA in the Northwest on the 18th of February, which revealed serious challenges at Dikeledi Makapan Primary School and Rantebeng II Primary School. At Dikeledi Makapan Primary, cracked walls, collapsing ceilings, and broken windows pose a serious danger to both learners and teachers.
At Rantebeng II Primary School, the school has been without a sustainable electricity solution since 2021, due to the unaffordability of its three-phase transformer, which costs the school over R5000 per month. This led the school into debt exceeding R100 000 and to the eventual disconnection of services, affecting learners and teachers.
According to Action SA member of Provincial Legislature Ms Masego Kodisang, these ongoing challenges in the schools are not due to a lack of awareness but rather a failure of leadership.
“The failure of the Department to act is not due to a lack of awareness, but a clear lack of political will and accountability. These issues have been raised repeatedly by the Action SA, communities, educators, and oversight bodies, yet they continue to be ignored,” said Ms Kodisang.
She further criticised what she described as a pattern of reactive governance, responding only when there is public pressure rather than proactive intervention.
“The department has normalised dysfunction in our schools, and that is unacceptable. Every day of inaction continues to disadvantage learners. They are forced to learn in unsafe, unconducive environments, which affects their concentration, morale and willingness to learn, while teachers are expected to deliver quality education under extreme conditions.
“These conditions are not just infrastructure failures -they are a direct assault on the right of basic education,” Ms Kodisang said.
Community members have also voiced out their concerns
“Our children are not safe at school, and nothing is being done. The government is really failing our children,” said a parent.
Another resident expressed concern about the long-term impacts on the learners
“Honestly, how are children supposed to focus and succeed in such conditions? This is setting them up for failure,” said Thabo Nkwana, a resident of Moretele.
Action SA has called for urgent intervention, warning that continued inaction by the department will further disadvantage already vulnerable rural communities.
Moretele Municipality Spokesperson, Mr Mothupi Malebye, said schools in the municipality are the responsibility of the Department of Education in the Province, and not the Municipality.
At the time of publishing this article, the Provincial Department of Education Spokesperson, Mr Steve Mabona, had not responded and had instead referred us to a number that was also not answered and mAt the time this article was published, the spokesperson for the Provincial Department of Education, Mr Steve Mabona, had not responded to our inquiries. Instead, he directed us to a number that went unanswered, and our messages to that number also went unanswered.
