The African National Congress (ANC) has expressed a welcome regarding the latest developments in the Nduli Primary School crisis, where learners have been forced to travel long distances and learn in shifts following the declaration that their school building is unsafe.
The ANC acknowledges key steps taken—such as the Western Cape Education Department’s discussions with stakeholders, the South African Human Rights Commission’s investigation into reported human rights violations, and Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education addressing the issue.
It stresses that these actions must result in immediate, concrete solutions for the affected learners, parents, and teachers.
According to Khalid Sayed, Leader of the Opposition in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature, these recent occurrences underscore the critical nature of the ongoing disruption to the learners and emphasised the urgent requirement for immediate intervention.
“We call on the newly appointed Education MEC, Jaco Londt to make an executive undertaking in this House that he will meet directly with the Nduli school community and relevant stakeholders as soon as possible, preferably within the coming week,”said Sayed.
Sayed emphasised that resolving this issue demands firm political determination and proactive action, stressing that learners should not endure further hardship while remedies are put off.
“When MEC Londt’s new department finally accepted the fact that the school building was unsafe and thus shifted learners to other locations, parents were told the matter would be resolved within two months,” he said.
He noted that half a year has passed without a resolution to the situation.
He emphasised that each additional day of disruption risk and further undermines the learners’ constitutional rights to receive a safe, accessible, and high-quality education.
Nduli Primary School was shut down in February this year because of safety concerns, with learners being transported by bus to neighboring schools after being promised temporary accommodation within two months.
However, six months have passed with no temporary structures in place, leaving learners to endure academic decline, exhausting daily commutes, and instances of discrimination and abuse at host schools.
Ward councillor Andile Gili and the School Governing Body proposed halting learner transport to redirect those funds toward erecting mobile classrooms on local open space, enabling learners to study within their community.
However, the Western Cape Education Department delayed renovations and mobile classroom requisitions following Auditor-General findings on tender and contractor non-compliance.
District officials told the community they lacked decision-making authority and requested until Thursday to consult senior decision-makers on a resolution.
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Nokubonga Ndlovu
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